The Nightingale. 



261 



They should be kept in a small basket, or a box with a wire 

 front, lined with a piece of old carpet (teazed out), or similar 

 material, to keep them warm, as they are extremely delicate, 

 and most difficult to rear, and the exposure to cold would 

 speedily kill them. 



Feed them with sheep's heart, raw (chopped very fine, and 

 free from skin, sinews, and fat), mixed with a small quantity 

 of the yolk of a hard-boiled egg and fine breadcrumbs, 

 rubbed into a paste with clean, pure water ; or with a paste 

 made of white bread, first soaked, then dried, and afterwards 

 grated, and mixed up with ants' eggs. Feed every two hours, 

 or oftener. As soon as the birds are able to feed themselves, 

 separate them, place in cages, and give a supply of straw or 

 barley husks, dry moss, fine gravel, and sand ; also give them 

 a few handfuls of mould, containing ants' eggs, which will not 

 only cause them to become docile, but will materially assist in 

 keeping them in a healthy condition. When they have 

 attained the age of six weeks, the usual food for adult birds 

 should be given. 



Distinguishing Marks of Cock and Hen. — The male bird 

 is distinguishable from the female by his form, colour, gait, 

 and general appearance. He is longer in the leg, holds his 

 body more erect ; is paler, though brighter, in his plumage ; 

 is bolder and more majestic in his carriage, and altogether 

 more sprightly and vivacious in his manner and bearing. 

 The male bird is flatter on the crown of the head than the 

 female, and longer in the neck, whiter on the throat and 

 breast, and redder in the tail. The cock is altogether fuller 

 in the body, and more masculine and daring in his tout 

 ensemble. In a brood of young birds, the palest-coloured ones 

 are the males, who are much whiter on the throat than 

 the females. The hens are redder, or browner, in colour. 



The males commence to record their song before their 

 tails are fully-grown. When able to feed themselves, the hens, 

 as well as the cocks, record. Therefore, when you observe 

 a young bird beginning to record, catch it, and notch a piece 

 out of the web of its wing feathers, whereby you will, when 

 he is fully-grown, be able to identify him. If you obtain 

 young branchers, or fledgelings, note that the males record 

 much louder than the females, and continue to do so for a 

 much longer period of time, and with more vivacity and 



