MAT. 



THE NIGHTINGALE'S AFFINITY. 



May i. The habits of the nightingale curiously 

 justify the action of our scientists in classing him 

 with the robin and the thrushes rather than the 

 warblers. In migratory habit he would seem to be 

 a warbler, and in charm of song he is nearly ap- 

 proached by the blackcap warbler, although there is 

 no real similarity in their styles of music. But young 

 nightingales have spotted plumage like young robins 

 and thrushes, and naturalists have quite rightly taken 

 this as decisive evidence of kinship. It is a well- 

 known principle that the young of any species repro- 

 duce the characteristic features of that species at an 

 earlier stage in its history, and the spotted feathers 

 of the young robins and nightingales show that both 

 of these birds are descended from a common ancestor 

 who was spotted, and, if you watch a nightingale in 

 the daytime, you will see at once that it only wants a 

 different voice and a red waistcoat to be a robin. 



JUST LIKE A ROBIN. 



Usually supposed to be a shy bird, the nightingale 

 is really bold and inquisitive. It is true that, if you 

 suddenly approach, it will drop down into the thicket 



