Clafs II. _ NIGHTINGALE. 25.5 



for the variety % length and fweetnefs of its notes, 

 vifits England the beginning of April, and leaves us 

 in Auguft. It is a fpecies that does not fpread itfelf 

 oyer the illand. It is not found in North Wales \ or 

 in any of the Engli/Jj counties north of it, except York- 

 Jhire, where they are met with in great plenty about 

 Doncafier. It is alfo remarkable, that this bird does 

 not migrate fo far weft as Cornwall -f; a county, 

 where the feafons are fo very mild, that myrtles 

 flourilh in the open air during the whole year. Sib- 

 bald places them in his lift of Scotch birds ; but Jonfion^ 

 denies that they have the fame harmony as thofe of 

 Italy. Pofllbly they may be found in that part of 

 our ifland, as they vifit Sweden, a much more fevere 

 climate. With us they frequent thick hedges, and 

 low coppices ; and generally keep in the middle of 

 the bum, fo that they are very rarely feen. They 

 begin their fong in the evening, and continue it the 

 whole night. Thefe, their vigils, did not pafs un- 

 noticed by the antients : the lumbers ©f thefe birds 

 were proverbial - 9 and not to reft as much as the 

 nightingale, exprefted a very bad deeper ||. This was 

 the favorite bird of the Britijh poet, who emits no 

 opportunity of introducing it, and almoft conftantly 

 noting its love of folitude and night : how finely 



* For this reafon, Oppian, in his halisutics , I. i. 728. gives the 

 nightingale the epithet of i<oAc<p<yi^, ox various voiced ; and HeJlod t 

 (figuratively) of woiziAo^a, or various throated. Egya xj illegal, 

 1. 201. 



f Borlafe's nat. hijl. Cornwall, 244. 



\ Jonfion hift nat. ak). 8g. 



J) JElian var. hijl. 577. both in the text and note. 



S 4 does 



