DAULIAS 71 



DAULIAS, Boie, 1831. 



106. NIGHTINGALE. 

 DAULIAS LUSCINIA. 



Daulias Itiscinia, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 328 (1766) (Hevvitson), i. p. 124, 

 pi. xxxiii ; (Naumann), ii. p. 374, Taf. 74, fig. 2 ; Gould, B. of E. 

 ii. pi. 116, id., B. of Gt. Brit. ii. pi. 56 ; Newton, i. p. 312 ; Dresser, 

 ii. p. 363, pi. 56, fig. 1 ; (Seebohm), Cat. B. Br. Mus. v. p. 294 ; 

 Saunclers, p. 39 ; Lill'ord, iii. p. 8. pi. 4. 



JRossignol, French ; Ruxinol, Portug. ; Ruisenor, Span. ; Rusig- 

 nuolo y Ital. ; Nacktigall, German ; Nachtegaal, Dutch ; Lapadnay- 

 solovey, Russian. 



<? ad. (England). Upper parts generally rich brown with a rufous 

 tinge, under parts greyish white ; upper tail-coverts and tail rusty red ; 

 bill and legs brown ; iris hazel ; first primary extending 0*2 beyond the 

 primary coverts, second primary about equal to the fifth. Culmen 0*65, 

 wing 3-3, tail 2'65, tarsus 1'05 inch. The female resembles the male but the 

 young are darker, and have the upper parts spotted with ochreous, and the 

 under parts washed with brownish yellow, the feathers with greyish brown 

 edges. 



Hob. Central southern and western Europe ranging into the 

 south of England, and as far east as Russia, where, however, it is 

 rare ; winters in Africa as far south as Abyssinia, Nubia, and 

 the Sudan. Though retiring in its habits it is not a shy bird 

 and is often met with near human habitations. 



It frequents woodlands, groves, and gardens, especially low- 

 lying damp localities, and feeds chiefly on the ground, its food 

 consisting almost exclusively of insects of various kinds. As a 

 songster it is unrivalled, no European bird having so rich and 

 varied a song. It sings both in the day and night, more 

 especially in the latter, and its song may be heard until its 

 young are hatched. It breeds in May and only raises one 

 brood in the season. Its nest, which is constructed externally 

 of dry leaves, usually those of the oak, and lined with fine bents, 

 rootlets, and occasionally horsehair, is placed on or close to the 

 ground in some sheltered place, where the grass and under- 

 growth is thick, and its eggs, 4 to 6 in number, are deep olive 

 brown or olivaceous, unspotted, and vary in size from 0'87 by 0*67 

 to 0-75 by 0-53. 



