222 THE BLACKCAP. 



Voi dada ! vol dada ! 

 Gai^gai^ gai, gai, guirr,guirr. 

 Hoi, gueguegue gut. 

 Hoi (jot. 



This bird is not found in any part of Thuringia. There are some in 

 Silesia, Bolipmia, Pomerania, near Wittenberg, Halle, and Dessau ; but 

 in Austria, Hungary, and Poland, they are in some districts more 

 abundant than the common nightingale *. They generally settle among 

 the bushes of the hills and plains, and especially near rivers. When 

 caged they are fed like nightingales. They are less delicate, however, and 

 live much longer. 



They are chiefly brought from Vienna to Thuringia, -whence they have 

 the name of Vienna Nightingales. Some people make a business of 

 fetching them from Hungary, in the beginning of April, where they buy 

 them cheap, in order to sell them very dear, in Saxony and other remote 

 provinces. Those from Hungary are preferred to the Polish. A dis- 

 tinguishing characteristic is, that they first pronounce the davitt or Jacob 

 only once when they call ; while the second repeat davitt many times iu 

 succession. 



At Thorn, and all along the Vistula, where the common and the large 

 nightingale equally abound, the latter is called the Polish Nightingale, 

 and the former, the Nightingale of Saxony. The nest of the greater 

 nightingale is built like that of the nightingale ; but the eggs are larger, 

 and of an olive brown, with dark shades. 



These birds are caught like nightingales ; their diseases, also, are 

 similar ; but they appear to suffer still more when moulting : they becom* 

 dull and ill, and often die under it. It is usual to give them at this 

 crisis some spiders, and the grubs which gnaw wood ; what, however, 

 after many experiments, appears most salutary, is the Golden Tincture 

 of Halle t» one or two drops of which are poured into the drinking- 

 trough. 



THE BLACKCAP. 



Sylvia atricapilla, Bechstein ; La Fauvette a tete noire, Buffon ; Die .schwarz- 

 kOpflge Grasmticke, Bechstein. 



This distinguished singer among birds, bears, in Germany, 

 the name of Monk, or Moor, from the black or brown cap 

 which covers the top of his head. These two colours have led 



* It is not a native of Britain. — Translator. 



t To prepare this tincture, take of water four parts, of black oxide of iron one 

 part ; boil the oxide with the water, and then pass a current of chlorine gas 

 through the mixture till it will absorb no more ; filter the liquor and evaporate 

 over a slow fire to the consistence of an extract ; when this is cold, pour upon it 

 of hydrochloric ether three parts ; let it macerate without heat for several days ; 

 then add of alcoholised hydrochloric acid nine parts ; macerate again, filter the 

 liquor, and expose it to the sun. — Translator. 



