NIGHTINGALE. 



333 



*It will be perceived, by reference to our synonimes, that this has 

 been divided into several species by authors, arising- from the great dif- 

 ference between the adult male and female, and between these and the 

 young- in the first and second year's plumag-e. In this state it was de- 

 scribed by Montagu as a distinct species, under the name of the Gar- 

 denian; and by Latham as the spotted Heron. It frequents the banks of 

 rivers and lakes, margined with bushes of reeds and dwarf wood. It is 

 plentiful in the temperate parts of Europe, but becomes more rare as 

 you approach the North ; in Holland it is found occasionally. It is 

 also found in America. The nest is built on the ground, in brush 

 wood, and very rarely among the reeds and rushes. Its food consists 

 of fish, and it lays three or four eggs of a greenish colour. 



NIGHTINGALE (Sylvia Zuscinia, Latham.) 



Motacilla Luscinia, Linn. Syst. 1. p. 328. 1 Gmel. Syst. 2. p. 950. — Rati, Syn. 



p. 78. A. 2.— Will. p. 161. t. 41 Brhs. 3. p. 397. 13. — 16. 8vo. 1. p. 420 



Curruca luscinia, Flem. Br. Anim. p. 69. — Sylvia Luscinia, Lath. Ind. Orn. 2. 

 p. 506. 1 — Temm. Man. d'Orn. 1. p. 195.— Le Rossignol, Buff. Ois. 5. p. 81. 



t. 6. f. 1.— Nightingale, Br. Zool. 1. No. 154 lb. fol. 100. t. 8. 1. f . 2 



Arct. Zool. p. 416. A. — Will. (Angl.) p. 220. t. 41.— Albin, 3. t. 53.— Symes, 



Song Birds, t. p. 67 Lath. Syn. 4. p. 408. 1.— Ib. Supp. p. 180. — Lewin's Br. 



Birds, 3. t. 99 Wale. Syn. 2. t. 229.— Pult. Cat. Dorset, p. 8 Don. Br. 



Birds, 5. t. 108.— Sweet's Br. Warblers, G.—Selby, p. 172. 



This species is about the size of the sky lark, but of a more slender 

 and elegant form. Its weight is six drams ; length near seven inches ; 

 bill brown ; irides hazel. The head and upper parts of the body pale 

 tawny ; the under parts cinereous-brown ; tail deep tawny-red ; quills 

 brown ; the outer webs reddish brown ; legs long, and of a light brown. 

 The female is rather less, but in plumage both sexes are nearly alike. 



This is the largest species of the warbler genus ; it appears with us 

 sometimes in April, but most commonly not till the beginning of May. 



The females do not arrive till a week or ten days after the males ; so 

 that on the first arrival of these birds none but males are caught, which 

 has given rise to a supposition that the proportion of males are greater 

 than those of the other sex. But was this the case, those males who 

 were not fortunate enough to procure a mate would sing all the summer 

 through ; whereas they are all silent by the latter end of June. If by 

 accident the female is killed, the male assumes his song again, and will 

 continue to sing very late in the summer, or till he finds another mate. 

 This we have proved by taking the female on her nest > when the male 

 assumed his usual vociferous notes, which attracted another female. In 

 birds that pair, there is no doubt nature has given an equal proportion 

 of both sexes ; and yet, what is extraordinary and unaccountable, if 

 either sex is destroyed before the great demand of nature is perfected, 



