l6 NIGHTINGALE. 



provided for the saints in heaven, when Thou affordest 

 bad men such music on earth ? " said Isaac Walton, 

 speaking of it. 



Nightingale's eggs are not found as a rule before 

 May. Nearly all the nests I have seen have been 

 about a foot off the ground, though they are sometimes 

 placed on the ground itself. The nest is made of dry 

 leaves and roots, very loosely put together, so that it 

 is very difficult indeed to remove it without pulling it 

 to pieces ; it is generally lined with hair. From four 

 to six eggs are laid in it, of a dull olive brown, or else 

 an olive-green colour. Without great care they will 

 be found to fade badly after a short time, and pains 

 should be taken to keep them from exposure to the 

 light. 



The Nightingale has been kept in confinement, but 

 it is not a success as a caged bird. Bechstein mentions 

 an instance in which one was kept in a cage twenty- 

 five years. Goldsmith too publishes a story told by 

 Gerner, and communicated to him by a friend, of three 

 Nightingales which were shut up in three separate 

 cages, and kept dark, and he says that, in the evening 

 or night, they used to repeat the conversations they 

 had heard during the day. This we must take for 

 what it is worth. 



Worms, insects and caterpillars are the favourite 

 food of the Nightingale, and it is also very fond of 

 fruit. Its plumage is very plain, being chiefly brown, 

 with the chin and breast a greyish white. 



