THE NIGHTINGALE. 371 



and the more they will sing. The larvse of the cockchafer, or 

 may- bug, which is sometimes very plentiful in grass fields, may 

 be procured in great abundance, and kept in pots of turfy 

 earth through the winter, giving each bird one or two of a day, 

 according as the stock holds out. This will keep them in excel- 

 lent health. Common maggots also, in the larvse or pupa state, 

 they are very fond of, also spiders, earwigs, crickets, and various 

 other insects. 



" The Nightingale is easily taken in a trap. As it generally 

 seeks its food in fresh ground, it is only to clear away a place, 

 and stir up the ground a little, near where it sings or frequents, 

 then set the trap near it, baited with a living insect, and it is 

 almost certain to be caught. Birds caught early in spring, if put 

 in an aviary with other tame ones, will sing in a few days ; those 

 caught the latter part of summer, will begin singing in Novem- 

 ber, if young ones ; but the old ones will seldom begin till 

 February. One that I caught in August, began singing in No- 

 vember, and left off again about the middle of December ; at the 

 end of the same month it begun again, and sung continually ail 

 day long against a Whitethroat, that strived with all its might 

 to outdo it. 



" I have had a female Nightingale which built a nest in the 

 cage, in a little work-basket, put in on purpose ; she laid three 

 eggs, and sat on them till she was almost starved, as the male 

 bird would not feed her; she then threw the eggs out, and 

 broke them ; both the male and female were only one year 

 old birds : and I have no doubt but they would have bred in 

 confinement, had they been kept together another season ; but I 

 parted with the female to a gentleman who particularly wished 

 it. I have since had a female several years, but it has never at- 

 tempted to build, which I believe is owing to its being an old 

 bird when first caught. Some authors give it as their opinion 

 that the female of this species sings, but I have never heard one 

 make the least attempt, though I have frequently kept them 

 several years." 



WILLIAM KIDD, in the Gardener's Chronicle, gives the following 

 directions how to feed fresh-caught Nightingales. " The birds, 

 when secured, are placed in a store cage, and quickly conveyed 

 to the bird dealers in the Seven Dials. These worthies then pro- 

 ceed at once to ' meat them off.' This is accomplished thus : 

 Some fresh raw beef is scraped ; and being divested of all fibrous 

 substance, it is mixed into a soft paste, with cold water and hard- 

 boiled yolk of egg. This is put into a large bird pan. In the 

 middle of this food is placed a very small inverted liqueur glass, 

 with the stem broken off. Under this glass are introduced three 



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