NIGHTINGALE 637 
dead leaves ingeniously applied together so that the plane of most is 
nearly vertical, ‘The mass is wrought so as to contain in the middle 
a deep cup-like hollow, neatly lined with fibrous roots, but the 
whole is so loosely constructed, and depends for lateral support so 
much on the stems of the plants among which it is generally built, 
that a very slight touch disturbs its beautiful arrangement. Herein 
from four to six eggs of a deep olive colour are duly laid, and the 
young hatched. If the latter, when nearly fit to fly, be taken from 
the nest, they can with proper care be reared by hand, and this is 
the only justifiable mode of proceeding for those who wish to keep 
this fine songster in confinement, as, if the birds survive their first 
moult, they may live for some years in a cage, and the cocks will 
in due time exercise their full vocal powers. The nestling plumage 
of the Nightingale differs much from that of the adult, the feathers 
above being tipped with a buff spot, just as in the young of the 
REDBREAST, REDSTART and Hedge-SpaRRow, thereby pointing to 
the affinity of all these forms. Towards the end of summer the 
Nightingale disappears, and but little has been observed of it in its 
winter-retreats, which are presumably in the interior of Africa. One 
of the few records of it at that season proves that it visits the Gold 
Coast (bis, 1872, p. 291). 
The Nightingale is the Motacilla luscinia in part of Linneus, and 
the Daulias luscinia of some modern ornithologists. In the east of 
Europe a second species occurs which was not discriminated by 
Linneus, though long known to German bird-fanciers as the Sprosser. 
This, the Sylvia philomela or Daulias philomela of many scientific 
writers, is a somewhat larger bird, which fact, and the presence of 
some faint spots on its breast, have caused it to receive the English 
name of Thrush-Nightingale. Its westward range appears to be 
limited to the valley of the Rhine, and the statement that it has 
occurred in England is erroneous. Its song is louder than that of 
the true Nightingale, but not so sweet in tone or so varied in note. 
Still further to the eastward, extending from the Caucasus through 
Persia to Turkestan, and occasionally occurring in winter in 
India, is a third species, almost simultaneously described in Berlin 
and Moscow as Luscinia golzi and L. hafizi (see Radde, Orn. Cawcas. 
p. 247, pl. xv. and Oates, Faun. br. Ind. birds, ii. p. 101). The 
name Nightingale has been vaguely applied to several other birds. 
The so-called ‘‘ Virginian Nightingale” is a species of GROSBEAK 
(p. 387), and the REDWING, strangely enough, has been often spoken 
of as the “Swedish Nightingale.” ? 
1 The Nightingale holds a place in classical mythology. Procne and Philo- 
mela were the daughters of Pandion, king of Attica, who in return for warlike aid 
rendered him by Tereus, king of Daulis in Thrace, gave him the first-named in 
marriage. ‘l'ereus, however, being enamoured of her sister, feigned that his 
wife was dead, and induced Philomela to take her place. On her discovering the 
