NIGHTINGALE. 



99 



member — and that is sixty years ago — the appearance of the 

 Nightingale in this district is very rare ; the first was at Wood- 

 hall many years ago, the next time was at Stockheld Park. In 

 1846, one at Colonel Gunter's, Wetherby Grange, where, alas, I 

 saw a blackguard at two o'clock in the morning with a cage, and 

 two or three nights afterwards its song ceased, so I presume he 

 caught it. The next I heard was here in 1866. The last here 

 this spring.' Mr. John Emmet was told that a pair built in the 

 vicarage hedge at Thorparch a number of years ago, but the nest 

 was taken. Its nesting near Bramham has already been alluded 

 to prior to 1844, and since more recent years it has been known 

 to resort to that place and to Skewkirk by Mr. John Tennant. 

 Tunstall, one hundred years ago, informed Latham that ' near 

 Abberford, particularly near Hazlewood, the seat of Sir Walter 

 Vavasour, is extremely lavish in song.' 



Near Harrogate, Mr. Peter Inchbald told me he first noticed 

 the Nightingale on the 21st of April, 1883, and that for three 

 consecutive years it had made its appearance in the same copse 

 in which it first nested. He believed the same pair of birds 

 came back year after year. The nest, a remarkably flimsy 

 structure, was built in a tuft of nettles and contained four eggs. 

 The young were fully fledged on the i6th June and left the nest 

 the next day, one egg remaining unhatched. Some days before 

 they left the nest the notes of the male bird were changed into 

 a call-note, and an angry jarring croak, which it uttered on a near 

 approach. The young resemble young robins in the brown 

 mottling of the feathers on the back. They were impatient of 

 food and uttered harsh little notes till they were satisfied. The 

 next year (1884) they appeared again on the 20th of April; 

 this year they were evidently disturbed in their nesting operations 

 by the crowds of people that visited the copse nightly. In 1885 

 the male bird only was seen, and he disappeared early in June. 

 This year (1886) no Nightingale visited us, nor did I hear of 

 any in the neighbourhood. I fear they have said good bye to 



