52 ^ 

 NEST AND EGGS OF THE NIGHTINGALE. 



PLATE LII. 



It was never my good fortune to find a Nightingale's 

 nest, neither have I been able to procure one from 

 my friends, though I have (for the sake of this work) 

 made repeated applications to gentlemen residing in 

 such parts of the kingdom as the Nightingale frequents. 

 The nest figured on my plate, is exactly copied from a 

 coloured drawing, generously sent to me by my worthy 

 friend John Latham, Esq., who caused his daughter to 

 make it from a perfect nest in his possession. 



The song of the Nightingale is too well known and 

 too much celebrated to require any of my dull encom- 

 iums. Plinie's description of it is beautiful and cur- 

 ious, vide Plin. Hist. Nat. lib. lo, chap. 29. Which 

 (translated into English) you may find in Plinie's Nat- 

 ural History, by Philemon Holland, Doctor of Physic, 

 published in London in the year 1634. Not only in 

 the time of Pliny, but long before him, and since, 

 down to this day, this poor bird has been the butt of 

 whining lovers, tjieatrical writers, romancers, novelists, 

 poets, poetasters, and liars of many other denomina- 

 tions. 



The Nightingale was a favourite of Milton, who, in 

 one place prettily and truly says, 



The Wakeful bird 



Sings darkling ; and, in shadiest covert hid. 

 Tunes her nocturnal note. 



In another place he says, 



She all night long her am'rous discant sung. 



Which is false, for she does not sing all night long. 



The caterpillar of the Peacock Butterfly, * feeds on 

 nettles ; becomes a chrysalis the beginning of July, 

 and appears on the wing in the beginning of August. 



Papilio Jo. Linn. 



