8 BIKDS AND POETS 



Our nightingale has mainly the reputation of the 

 caged bird, and is famed mostly for its powers of 

 mimicry, which are truly wonderful, enabling the 

 bird to exactly reproduce and even improve upon 

 the notes of almost any other songster. But in a 

 state of freedom it has a song of its own which is 

 infinitely rich and various. It is a garrulous poly- 

 glot when it chooses to be, and there is a dash of 

 the clown and the buffoon in its nature which too 

 often flavors its whole performance, especially in 

 captivity; but in its native haunts, and when its 

 love-passion is upon it, the serious and even grand 

 side of its character comes out. In Alabama and 

 Florida its song may be heard all through the sul- 

 try summer night, at times low and plaintive, then 

 full and strong. A friend of Thorean and a care- 

 ful observer, who has resided in Florida, tells me 

 that this bird is a much more marvelous singer than 

 it has the credit of being. He describes a habit it 

 has of singing on the wing on moonlight nights, 

 that would be worth going South to hear. Start- 

 ing from a low bush, it mounts in the air and con- 

 tinues its flight apparently to an altitude of several 

 hundred feet, remaining on the wing a number of 

 minutes, and pouring out its song with the utmost 

 clearness and abandon, — a slowly rising musical 

 rocket that fills the night air with harmonious 

 sounds. Here are both the lark and nightingale in 

 one; and if poets were as plentiful down South as 

 they are in New England, we should have heard of 

 this song long ago, and had it celebrated in appro- 



