THE NIGHTINGALE 



{Motacilla luscinia. ) 



Nightingale is a word derived from 

 the Anglo-Saxon word Nihtegale, which, 

 literally translated, means ''singer of 

 the night." In the ancient Latin times 

 this bird was spoken of as ''A voice, 

 and nothing else." Pliny gave an 

 interesting account of the Nightingale 

 in his ''Natural History," which, trans- 

 lated from the Latin, reads as follows: 

 "The song of the Nightingale is to 

 be heard, without intermission, for fif- 

 teen days and nights, continuously, 

 when the foliage is thickening, as it 

 bursts from the bud; a bird which de- 

 serves our admiration in no slight de- 

 gree. First of all, what a powerful 

 voice in so small a body ! Its note, how 

 long, and how well sustained ! And then, 

 "^ too, it is the only bird the notes of 

 which are modulated in accordance with 

 the strict rules of musical science." The 

 song is uttered only by the male bird, 

 though many poets, while writing of the 

 bird, have credited the song to the fe- 

 male. The beautiful song of the Night- 

 ingale seems indescribable and has never 

 been satisfactorily expressed in syllables. 

 This song is uttered during the mating 

 season and ceases practically at the ap- 

 pearance of the brood. Its notes then 

 become much less musical and sound 

 more like a croak. It is probably a note 

 of alarm and anxiety for the young. 

 "No greater contrast can be imagined, 

 and no instance can be cited which more 

 completely points out the purpose which 

 song fulfils in the economy of the bird, 

 for if the Nightingale's nest at this early 

 time be destroyed or its contents re- 

 moved, the cock speedily recovers his 

 voice and his favorite haunts again re- 

 sound' to his bewitching strains. For 

 then his mate is content again to undergo 

 the wearisome round of nest-building 

 and incubation." 



The nests of the Nightingales are pe- 

 culiar and of a rather uncommon 



structure. They are built upon or near 

 the ground. The outer wall of a nest 

 is mainly constructed with a very large 

 number of dry leaves, which are so 

 placed together that the plane of all the 

 leaves is nearly vertical. The nest cavity, 

 or hollow, is deep and shaped like a cup 

 and is carefully lined with a neat layer 

 of roots which are finely fibrous, and 

 sometimes a few feathers. While this 

 nest is beautiful and ingeniously con- 

 structed its parts are so loosely held to- 

 gether that, even though it is supported 

 laterally by the plant stems among which 

 it is nearly always built, it is often easily 

 injured by a slight touch. The number 

 of eggs in a set varies from four to six, 

 and they are deeply olive in color. Adult 

 Nightingales do not endure captivity and 

 usually die within three or four weeks. 

 It is said, however, that if the young 

 birds are taken when they are nearly 

 ready to fly from the nest, "they can, 

 with proper care, be reared by hand, and 

 this is the only justifiable mode of pro- 

 ceding for those who wish to keep this 

 fine songster in confinement, as, if the 

 birds survive their first moult, they may 

 live for some years in a cage, and the 

 cocks will in due time exercise their full 

 vocal powers." 



The Nightingales feed largely upon 

 caterpillars and other larvae. Their prin- 

 cipal food is said to be the caterpillars 

 of the night moths, and it is also prob- 

 able that they eat some of the beetles 

 which are active in the night. As these 

 insects feed chiefly during the night 

 time, they must be hunted by the birds 

 during the dark hours, for the insects 

 retire during the daylight hours. 



The Nightingales are well known vis- 

 itors to the eastern, midland and western 

 counties of England, though they are 

 not residents at any time in Ireland, and 

 by the best observers are not believed to 

 ever visit Scotland. They also frequent. 



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