THE NIGHTINGALE. 233 



Haunts How taken Habits. 



torn of their cage; among which, some hen's 

 egg boiled hard, and chopped very small, should 

 be strewed, and some saffron put into their 

 water. 



The nightingales caught with nets very fre- 

 quently prove good songsters; those taken before 

 the 23d of April are accounted the best, because 

 after that they pair with the hens. They usually 

 haunt woods, coppices, and quickset hedges, 

 where they may be taken with trap-cages, baited 

 with meal-worms; they should be placed as near 

 the spot as possible where the bird sings, and be- 

 fore the trap is fixed, the earth should be turned 

 up twice the breadth of the cage, because they 

 will there look for food. They are also taken, 

 with lime twigs, placing them upon the hedge 

 where they usually sing; and there should be 

 meal-worms stuck at places to draw them into 

 the snare. After they are taken, their wings 

 should be gently tied with thread, to prevent 

 their beating themselves against the cage; but 

 which should be loosed again, as soon as he in 

 any manner becomes familiar. He should be 

 first hung in a private place, that he may not be 

 disturbed, and should be fed every two hours at 

 farthest, mingling amongst the meat already pre- 

 scribed, some worms, ants, caterpillars, or flies, 

 he having been used to live upon such food when 

 at liberty. 



Nightingales are solitary birds, never associat- 

 ing in flocks like many of the smaller birds, but 



VOL. in. NO. xx. 2 G 2 



