22 FEATHERED FRIENDS. 



studded with trills and quavers and cadences, and all 

 that sort of thing, and if there is not too much "jug" 

 in it, even fascinating ; but it has one drawback, it is 

 just a trifle loud, and that is why I prefer a bird that 

 has been brought up by hand from the nest to one that 

 has been captured when adult, and that even in a case 

 where one is as tame as the other, for the hand- reared 

 bird certainly never fully acquires the natural song of 

 its race as given in wood and copse by the uncaged 

 minstrel and is, consequently, less regarded on that 

 account by many connoisseurs : but, on the other hand, 

 the voice of the domesticated Nightingale is more 

 mellow than that of the wild one, not pitched in so 

 high a key, and especially its performance is continued 

 for a much longer period than is customary with one 

 that has enjoyed the " sweets" of liberty, even for a 

 comparatively brief season. 



I see no reason why a pair of these birds, especially 

 if brought up by hand, should not nest and rear a brood 

 in a suitable aviary. The last summer of poor little 

 Joey's life, when I had begun to think that a mistake 

 had been made with regard to the dear creature's 

 sex, I frequently caught sight of her hopping about 

 the conservatory with little bits of grass or leaves, or 

 something of the kind in her bill, and I feel sure that 

 if she had had a mate she would have built herself 

 a nest, and no doubt have laid some eggs and 

 perhaps reared some young ones: so that if I ever 



