THE NIGHTINGALE. 33 



they differ from the Garden Warblers in having 

 the bill less compressed towards the tip, and 

 wider near the gape ; the legs much longer and 

 not scutellated, the toes more adapted for walk- 

 ing than perching. In habits they are more 

 retired, concealing themselves in thickets and 

 copses, living a good deal on the ground, where 

 they find the principal portion of their food, and 

 building a loosely-constructed nest on or near 

 the ground, instead of a more compact structure 

 at a distance from it. 



The sole representative of this genus in 

 England is the far-famed Nightingale ; and of 

 all the summer migrants to this country, no 

 species probably has attracted more attention, or 

 given rise to more speculation and discussion 

 amongst naturalists. The most remarkable 

 fact in connection with its annual sojourn in 

 England is its very partial distribution. When 

 we find this bird in summer as far to the 

 westward as Spain and Portugal, and as far to 

 the northward as Sweden, we may well be 

 surprised at its absence from Wales, Ireland, 



D 



