468 



A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK OF BRITISH BIRDS. 



Key to species of genus Luscinia. 



I Tail uniform 2 



^ -j Tail parti-coloured, lateral rectrices ferruginous 



( at base, brown at tip L. svecica, p. 473 



f 1st primary shorter than primary-coverts . . L. luscinia, p. 471 



"' I 1st primary as long as or longer than primary- 



l coverts L. niegarhyncha, p. 468 



LUSCINIA MEGARHYNCHA 



191. Luscinia megarhyncha niegarhyncha Brehm — THE 



NIGHTINGALE. 



Luscinia megarhynchos Brehm, Handb. Naturg. Vog. Deutschl., p. 356 



(1831— Germany). 



Daulias luscinia* (Linnaeus), Yarrell, i, p. 312 ; Saunders, p. 39. 



Description (Plate 

 16). — Adult male and 

 female. Winter. — 

 Whole upper - parts 

 rufous-brown ; upper 

 tail-coverts brighter 

 chestnut -brown ; lores 

 brownish -white, 

 feathers tipped brown; 

 orbital ring brownish- 

 white ; ear - coverts 

 brown mesially 

 streaked brownish - 

 white ; chin and centre 

 of throat dull white ; 

 sides of throat, upj)er- 

 breast and flanks pale 

 greyish-brown to pale 

 yellowish-broMia ; rest 

 of breast and belly 



dull white ; under tail-coverts pale creamy-buff ; under Aving-coverts 

 brown tipped creamy-buff ; axillaries creamy-buff with broAvn bases ; 

 tail-feathers uniform chestnut -brown, central pair rather duller ; 

 primaries and secondaries, inner webs black-brown edged pale 

 brown, outer webs rufous-brown, innermost secondaries rufous- 

 brown on both webs ; wing-coverts rufous-broA^aa, the greater series 

 having darker broAvn inner webs. This plumage is acquired by 



A. The Nightingale (Luscinia m. megarhyncha). B. The 

 Thrush-Nightingale {L. luscinia). Showing differences 

 in wing-formula. Note especially lengths of 1st and 

 2nd primaries, and 3rd and 4th emarginated in Nightin- 

 gale and only 3rd in Thrush-Nightingale. 



* The specific name luscinia originally referred to the Thrush-Nightingal© 

 or Sprosser, and cannot, therefore, be used for our Nightingale ! See, among 

 others, Sharpe, Handlist, iv, p. 153. — E.H. 



