THE NIGHTINGALE 



summer haunts are filled. This assembling may have 

 something to do with mating, and as soon as that is over 

 each pair appears to betake itself to some chosen spot, 

 from which the birds wander little during the summer. 

 The unrivalled and charming song of this species forms 

 one of the sweetest attractions in the bird- world of Greater 

 London. The late Richard Bentleytold me that Night- 

 ingales in his grounds not far from London were some- 

 what of a nuisance in disturbing the family slumbers ! 

 It is at its best in May, declines through June, and finally 

 ceases as the autumn moult comes on in July. The 

 Nightingale is by no means the only songster in suburban 

 London that warbles at night : Sedge Warblers, Reed 

 Warblers, and Thrushes do the same ; but the voice of 

 these singers can never be confused with it by any observer 

 familiar with its strains. In general habits the Nightin- 

 gale is very like a Robin ; its actions and flight are similar, 

 the flicking of the wings and tail and bobbing motion 

 being very noticeable ; whilst its harsh croak of alarm 

 resembles that of a Whitethroat. It feeds on worms and 

 grubs, insects, and larvae, besides many of the smaller 

 fruits. The Nightingale rears but one brood during the 

 summer, and the eggs are laid in May. The nest is made 

 upon the ground, amongst grass, in drifts of dry leaves, or 

 in coarse herbage, and is made of dry grass, moss, and dead 

 leaves (usually of the oak), lined with finer grass and roots 

 and a little horsehair. The five or six eggs vary from 

 dark olive-brown to bluish green, the surface colour 

 more or less densely distributed over the shell, in some 

 specimens most pronounced in a circular cap over one 

 end. During the period of incubation the birds become 

 even more secretive, although the male frequently 

 betrays the whereabouts of the nest by his persistent 

 song in its vicinity. 



In its appearance the adult Nightingale is one of the 

 most soberly arrayed of birds, the upper parts being 



47 



