BIRDS. 347 



therefore supplied himself with another Bible, from which he 

 read the lessons of the service."* One pair built repeatedly 

 adjoining a blacksmith's shop; but neither the noise of the 

 adjacent forge, nor frequent visits disturbed them.t Another 

 constructed the nest in a hole in the timbers of a vessel under- 

 going repairs in the dry dock at Belfast, while the deafening 

 process of driving in what are called the tree-nails was carried 

 forward, occasionally close to the nest.J But a more extra- 

 ordinary selection was made by one which had been frequently 

 expelled from a bird-stuffing room, where the window was 

 kept open, and is thus recorded by Mr. Thompson: "Finding 

 that expulsion was of no avail, recourse was had to a novel 

 and rather comical expedient. My friend had, a short time 

 before, received a collection of stuffed Asiatic quadrupeds, 

 and of these he selected the most fierce looking Carnivora, 

 and placed them at the open window, which they nearly filled 

 up, hoping that their formidable aspect might deter the bird 

 from future ingress; but the Redbreast was not to be so 

 frightened from its * propriety, ' and made its entree as usual. 

 Its perseverance was at length rewarded by a free permission 

 to have its own way, when, as if in defiance of the ruse that 

 had been attempted to be practised upon it, the chosen place 

 for the nest was the head of a Shark! " 



The Nightingale (Sylvia luscinia) stands pre-eminent in 

 all the requisites for first-rate song. The volume, quality, and 

 execution of its voice are unrivalled among British birds, and 

 its powers appear still more extraordinary, taken in connexion 

 with the diminutive size of the musician. It is a native of 

 southern climes, and appears in England in April, the arrival 

 of the males preceding that of the females from ten to fourteen 

 days. It is by no means generally distributed. It does not 

 appear to frequent Cornwall nor Wales, and is rarely heard 

 to the north of Warwickshire; it is consequently absent from 

 Scotland and the adjoining islands; and is altogether unknown 

 in Ireland. 



* From the pleasing little volumes to which we have more than once 

 referred, the Familiar History of Birds, by the Bishop of Norwich, 

 vol. ii. p. 35. The fact is given on the authority of a writer in Magazine 

 of Natural History, No. 31. 



f Yarrell, from the Field Naturalists' Magazine. 



} Thompson. The vessel was the Dunlop. 



Yarrell. 



