NIGHTINGALE 637 



dead leaves ingeniously applied together so that the plane of most is 

 nearly vertical. The mass is wrought so as to contain in the middle 

 a deep cup-like hollow, neatly lined with fibrous roots, but the 

 whole is so loosely constructed, and depends for lateral support so 

 much on the stems of the plants among which it is generally built, 

 that a very slight touch disturbs its beautiful arrangement. Herein 

 from four to six eggs of a deep olive colour are duly laid, and the 

 young hatched. If the latter, when nearly fit to fly, be taken from 

 the nest, they can with proper care be reared by hand, and this is 

 the only justifiable mode of proceeding for those who wish to keep 

 this fine songster in confinement, as, if the birds survive their first 

 moult, they may live for some years in a cage, and the cocks will 

 in due time exercise their full vocal powers. The nestling plumage 

 of the Nightingale differs much from that of the adult, the feathers 

 above being tipped with a buff spot, just as in the young of the 

 EEDBREAST, REDSTART and Hedge-SpARROW, thereby pointing to 

 the affinity of all these forms. Towards the end of summer the 

 Nightingale disappears, and but little has been observed of it in its 

 winter-retreats, which are presumably in the interior of Africa. One 

 of the few records of it at that season proves that it visits the Gold 

 Coast (Ibis, 1872, p. 291). 



The Nightingale is the Motadlla luscinia in part of Linnaeus, and 

 the Daulias luscinia of some modern ornithologists. In the east of 

 Europe a second species occurs which was not discriminated by 

 LinnaBus, though long known to German bird-fanciers as the Sprosser. 

 This, the Sylvia philomela or Daulias philomela of many scientific 

 writers, is a somewhat larger bird, which fact, and the presence of 

 some faint spots on its breast, have caused it to receive the English 

 name of Thrush-Nightingale. Its westward range appears to be 

 limited to the valley of the Ehine, and the statement that it has 

 occurred in England is erroneous. Its song is louder than that of 

 the true Nightingale, but not so sweet in tone or so varied in note. 

 Still further to the eastward, extending from the Caucasus through 

 Persia to Turkestan, and occasionally occurring in winter in 

 India, is a third species, almost simultaneously described in Berlin 

 and Moscow as Luscinia golzi and L. hqfizi (see Radde, Orn. Caucas. 

 p. 247, pi. xv. and Gates, Faun. Er. Ind. Birds, ii. p. 101). The 

 name Nightingale has been vaguely applied to several other birds. 

 The so-called "Virginian Nightingale" is a species of GROSBEAK 

 (p. 387), and the REDWING, strangely enough, has been often spoken 

 of as the " Swedish Nightingale." 1 



1 The Nightingale holds a place in classical mythology. Procne and Philo- 

 mela were the daughters of Pandion, king of Attica, who in return for warlike aid 

 rendered him by Tereus, king of Daulis in Thrace, gave him the first-named in 

 marriage. Tereus, however, being enamoured of her sister, feigned that his 

 wife was dead, and induced Philomela to take her place. On her discovering the 



