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rather tame than otherwise, active, and graceful in its movements. It passes with ease amongst 

 the branches, but deliberately, every now and again resting for a moment ; and on the ground it 

 hops four or five times in succession, then stands still for an instant, flirts its tail, and then either 

 hops forward or takes wing. When moving, the wings are drooped below the level of the tail, 

 the latter being carried rather erect, and spread when it takes wing. Its call-note differs from 

 that of Baulias luscinia, and may be rendered by the syllables glock-arrr; and the song of the 

 male is still more different, being deeper, more hollow in tone, and more resonant, not quite so 

 varied in its strophes, slower in measure with longer pauses between the strophes, and scarcely 

 as soft and sweet, though far more powerful. Individually the song varies not a little, some 

 birds being much better songsters than others. The song of the male is heard in May to the 

 end of June, but after Midsummer they gradually become silent. It sings most sweetly in the 

 early morning and late in the evening, and also during the night, the song being heard in May at 

 all hours of the night. When singing the bird does not perch high in the trees, but usually on 

 one of the lower branches or in a bush. Owing to its powerful and melodious song it is very 

 generally kept in confinement as a cage-bird, and in some countries is considered a better songster 

 than the common Nightingale. It feeds on insects of various kinds ; but in the autumn, Naumann 

 says, it will also at times feed on berries. It usually seeks after food on the ground, where it 

 picks up worms and insects and insect-larva', especially those which are found about old rotten 

 stumps and amongst old fallen leaves ; and it is fond of searching after worms in places where the 

 soil has recently been disturbed. 



Naumann remarks that the present species of Nightingale is particularly partial to damp 

 localities, being, so far as his experience goes, always found in the wooded lowlands close to the 

 large rivers, or else where there is abundance of water. It arrives in Germany, as a rule, rather 

 later than the common species, but breeds about the same time as that bird, always selecting, 

 however, damp localities, which Baulias luscinia does not do. Naumann says, in proof of this, 

 that a pair bred in a small wood belonging to him in the very wet season of. 1771, when the 

 ground in the wood was almost covered with water, and in no other season were they met with 

 there; but the common species usually bred in the same wood, though in the season above 

 referred to they deserted it, and were replaced by the present species. 



The nest of Baulias philomela resembles that of Baulias luscinia, being composed outside of 

 dead leaves, the inner portion being constructed with dried grass-bents, fine rootlets, &c. &c. It 

 is placed either on the ground or else (Naumann says) on an old stump which has commenced to 

 throw out new shoots, and is usually carefully concealed. From some notes received from Mr. 

 Benzon, of Copenhagen, I translate the following respecting the nidification of the present 

 species : — " The nest is placed on the ground or an old stump, well hidden under a bush or a 

 bunch of herbage. It is composed of leaves, the inner cup being of grass-bents, and measures 

 •"><) millims. in diameter, and 40 millims. in depth. The number of eggs deposited is usually five; 

 and only in one instance do I know of a nest having been found with six. Here in Denmark the 

 eggs are deposited from the 1st to the 20th of June. They are glossy in texture of shell, olive- 

 brown or dull greenish olivaceous in colour, usually unspotted ; but sometimes one finds them 

 marked with pale dull olive-browu dots, which are sometimes collected round the larger end, 

 forming a sort of wreath. Occasionally I have also seen eggs which are dull brownish at one 



