98 VIRGINIA NIGHTINGALE. 



with his beautiful plumage, this bird is gifted with a 

 very sweet, pleasing song, or rather whistle, which 

 sounds almost like the playing of a flageolet, being 

 very pleasant to the ear. He is very hardy, and 

 easily taken care of. He is also very tender-hearted, 

 and kind in feeding young birds even of a different 

 species, when placed in the same cage. One belong- 

 ing to an old woman at Washington earned for his 

 mistress a large sum of money by rearing a number 

 of young birds of other species placed under his 

 charge. He should be fed with a mixture of canary 

 and hemp seed, and rough (unhulled) rice, to which 

 may be added a little fresh green food, or a piece of 

 apple occasionally. When properly treated, this 

 bird often attains the age of fifteen years ; though he 

 will fade away from the beautiful scarlet to a delicate 

 shade of pink. A lady who has had a pet Virginia 

 nightingale for some years says he is still in the 

 highest health and beauty; she feeds him upon 

 canary-seed, giving him a few hemp-seeds, four or 

 five meal-worms, or spiders, grubs, or caterpillars 

 every day. He is fond of Spanish nuts, almonds, 

 walnuts, and Indian corn, but cannot crack the nuts. 

 A piece of salt and a lump of chalk are always kept 

 in his cage, and she gives him opportunity for a daily 

 bath. The salt causes the bird to retain his bril- 

 liancy, and the chalk keeps him regular. 



