106 THE BIRDS OF NORTHAMPTONSHIRE 



of more than one case of a Nightingale living and 

 singing in captivity for many years ; but I could 

 never make up my mind to keep one caged when 

 the time of migration arrived, and so turned off 

 the only two old birds I ever possessed with a hearty 

 God-speed. Particulars of the vast numbers of 

 Nightingales occasionally caught around London, 

 and the mortality amongst them, will be found in 

 Yarrell's ' British Birds,' fourth edition, 1st vol. 

 pp. 313, 314. 



It is a curious fact that the Nightingale seems to 

 avoid, or, at all events, very rarely to visit, the western 

 portions of England. It is uncommon in Devonshire, 

 and has not, I believe, been met with in Cornwall. 

 In Wales it appears to be confined to one or two 

 localities in the south-east of the Principality, and in 

 Ireland it is entirely unknown. 



I have found the Nightingale very abundant in 

 the summer in many parts of the south of Europe, 

 nowhere more so than in the grounds of the Alhambra 

 of Granada. 



All the many nests of this bird that I have found, 

 save one, have been situated on, or within a few 

 inches of, the ground; the exception was in some 

 stacked faggots, at a height of between three and 

 four feet, and contained five eggs, of the spotted 

 variety which occasionally occurs. I believe this 

 bird to be naturally almost exclusively insectivorous, 

 although in captivity it will feed readily upon currants 

 and other berries. 



Since the above article was published, I have many 

 records of the first seasonal appearance of Nightin- 

 gales in our neighbourhood during the first week of 

 April. 



