THE NIGHTINGALE. 307 
general colour is brownish above, marked with olive-green, and flanked with 
white on the wing-coverts. The under surface is yellowish grey, the beak is 
black, and the eye hazel-brown. The forehead is marked with greyish 
white ; the crest is brilliant yellow tipped with orange, and on each side of 
the crest runs a black line. The female is not so brilliant in her colouring, 
and the crest is wholly of a pale yellow. ; 
The FIRE-CRESTED WREN is very similar to the preceding species, but 
may be distinguished from it by the ruddy hue of the forehead, the fiery 
orange of the crest, and the decidedly yellow hue of the sides of the neck. 
It is an inhabitant of England, but it is a much rarer bird than the Golden- 
‘ crest. Owing to the great resemblance between the two species, they have 
often been mistaken for each other, and it is only within a comparatively 
recent period that their diversity was established. 
WITH the exception of the nightingale, the BLACKCAP WARBLER is the 
sweetest and richest of all the British song-birds, and in many points the 
voice of the Blackcap is even superior to that of the far-famed Philomel. 
The Blackcap derives its name from the tuft of dark feathers which crown 
the head, and which in the males are coal black, but in the females are deep 
reddish brown. It is rather late 
in arriving, seldom being seen 
or heard until the end of April, 
and it remains with us until the 
middle of September. As seve- 
ral specimens of this pretty bird 
have been noticed in England in 
the months of December and 
January, it is probable that some 
individuals may not migrate atall, 
but remainin this country through- 
out the entire winter. Should 
it do so, it might easily escape 
notice, as it would not be likely 
to sing much during the cold 
months, and owing to its retiring NIGHTINGALE, —(Luscinia Philomela.) 
habits it is at all times more 
likely to be heard than seen. 
The food of the Blackcap consists chiefly of insects, but it also pays 
attention to the ripe fruit in the autumn, being especially fond of rasp- 
berries. Perhaps it may choose this fruit on account of the little white 
maggots that are so often found in the centre of the over-ripe raspberry. 
The nest of the Blackcap is generally placed only a foot or so above the 
ground, within the shelter of a dense bush or tuft of rank herbage, and is 
composed of vegetable fibres and hairs rather loosely put together. The 
eggs are four or five in number, and are of a pale reddish brown, dappled 
with a deeper hue of brown. The general colour of the Blackcap is grey, 
with. a wash of dark green upon the upper surface and ashen grey upon the 
lower surface. The total length of the bird is not quite six inches, its extent 
of wings nearly nine inches, and its weight not quite half an ounce. 
THE well-known and far-famed NIGHTINGALE is, happily for us, an in- 
habitant of England, visiting us about the middle of April and remaining 
until the breeding season is over. 
It seems to be rather a local bird, some parts of England appearing to be 
quite unsuited to its habits. The northern counties are seldom visited by 
this bird, and in Ireland and Scotland it is almost unknown. 
The food of the Nightingale consists principally of various insects, and it 
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