NIGHTINGALE. 79 



The Nightingale usually arrives in England about 

 the middle of April, the males, as is the case with many 

 migratory birds, arriving a few days before the females. 

 Mr. Harting mentions that in 1867 three London bird- 

 catchers, between April 13 and May 2, took 225 Nightin- 

 gales ; and the whole of these, with five or six exceptions 

 only, were cock birds. It is considered a matter of great 

 importance to capture the male birds before the arrival 

 of the females, as, if taken after they have paired, they 

 invariably die in captivity. 



Since the increase of ornamental gardens in the neigh- 

 bourhood of London, Nightingales have become com- 

 paratively numerous, and have been frequently heard in 

 the Botanical Gardens, Regent's Park, Victoria Park, 

 Richmond Park, and even in Kensington Gardens. The 

 song ceases at the close of the first week in June ; and 

 Nightingales are, therefore, only in song for about seven 

 weeks in the year. 



The song of the Nightingale has for ages been the 

 theme of the poets,* and many of their theories are 

 strange to the ornithologist. They speak of the bird as 

 the only songster of the night, and as singing only by 

 night. They always make the singing-bird a female, 

 and she is "bereaved," "lorn," "solitary," " mournful ;" 

 whereas, as we know, the male Nightingale alone is the 

 songster, and he sings " always to his brooding mate." 

 Shelley seems to make the bird a Lark, for he speaks of 

 her as "climbing in circles the windless sky." Even the 

 great Shakespeare himself is credited with the idea that 

 the sadness of the Nightingale's song was partly due to 



* See The Poefs Birds. 



