15°


If Dr. Butler supposes that I make an arbitrary and unscientific

distinction between British and foreign birds, and assume that they need

different treatment, he is mistaken. But he knows, even better than I do,

that ninety-nine out of every hundred of the smaller foreign soft-billed birds

imported into this country are totally different feeders from the Nightingale.

The Nightingale, Redstart, Wheatear, and Whinchat are almost exclusively

insectivorous, but with the exception of the Red-sided Tit and the Blue-

throated Warbler (both very uncommon) I cannot at this moment recall any

small foreign soft-billed birds that I have ever seen in captivity in England

of which the same can be said : they are, on the contrary, nearly all fruit-

eaters, and, therefore, much easier to cater for.


Septimus Perkins.



Sir,— Mr. Septimus Perkins' quotation does not interest me. Can he

state that he has himself actually seen a wild Nightingale take fruit or

berries ? The Nightingale was a rare bird (only one sure nesting-place each

year within two miles of the house) in the county in which I passed twenty

years, the greater part of my country life, and I cannot say, and did not

say, that the wild bird does 7zoi take either or both, but am, at present,

strongly of opinion that it does not.


As regards the captive Nightingale, for many years past I have kept

it pretty regularly (I have two now), wild-caught birds and hand-reared,

English and German, in the house and in the garden, in cages and flying

loose, but I have never seen one touch either fruit or berry, although most

of them have had constant opportunities.


Just like the Sliama, I have found the Nightingale with me to be

wholly insectivorous, but occasionally taking a portion of a fading, not a

dry, leaf, or a whole euonymus leaf, for medicinal purposes.


But Nightingales under different conditions may act differently ; and

I can readily iinderstand that a specimeUjkept in a cage on the monotonous

food, so often recommended, of ants'-cocoons with a few mealworms, might

be glad to swallow anything for the sake of a change. Nevertheless, this

would not necessarily indicate the true nature of the bird ; and I shall be

glad to hear of Mr. Perkins' personal experiences of the wild Nightingale in

this connection — but no more quotations, please.


REGinaIvD Phii^lipps.



Sir, — As there has been so much correspondence in the Magazine

re food and treatment of Nightingales, I have written to a gentleman at

Torquay who I knew had a Nightingale which has been in his possession a

long time, asking him to give particulars of his feeding and treatment, and

I enclose his reply, which I think may be of interest to many of our

members, if you care to publish it in the Magazine.


C. P. Arthur.



The following is a copy of the letter referred to above.


Fairhoi^me, Torquay,


s'jth April, i8q8.

Mr. Arthur,


Dear Sir, — My Nightingale keeps in splendid condition, thanks to



