74 The Birds of the Assyrian Monuments and Records. 
where else," writes Major St. John, "have I seen birds in 
such numbers." 
(14.) The bulbul, or Asiatic nightingale, so celebrated in 
Persian story, is perhaps denoted by the Assyrian name of 
tsu-la-mu or tsa-lam-du (yy ^^Jf £>^f)> 
and by that of " the bird of night" (its-tsur ?nusi). The first 
and second names are clearly identical with the Hebrew 
tsdlam, Arabic zulmat " shade," or " darkness." Musi is 
the Arabic mascl " evening." The bird of the evening 
and the night may, of course, be intended to denote the 
nightingale, and I should, without hesitation, have considered 
this bird to be the its-tsur musi, "bird of the night," of 
the trilingual tablet, if it was supported by the Accadian. 
The Accadian name in the column which stood as the 
equivalent of tsalamu and tsalamdu is lost, by reason of the 
fracture of the tablet ; but in the next line the its-tsur musi 
is represented by the Accadian word A " water." It 
is evident, though there is a fracture-gap in this part of the 
trilingual tablet, that the whole of the Accadian name of this 
bird remains ; and we read, as the synonym of its-tsur musi, 
the name of A KHU, "water-bird," very indefinite indeed. 
Had the name immediately above this one been entire, and 
able to give us the Accadian rendering of the Assyrian 
tsalamu, we might perhaps have had some certain clue to 
identification ; for the nightingale can hardly be sufficiently 
aquatic in its habits of frequenting trees and bushes by the 
river or pool, to merit the simple name of " water bird," 
without some limitation. Therefore, the claims of another 
night-singing warbler naturally present themselves for recog- 
nition here. Such a bird, which will completely fulfil all the 
necessary conditions is found in the sedge-warbler. The 
same almost may be said of the reed-warbler, but I have 
another place for this little songster, in which I think it will 
rest as comfortably as if it were in its own beautiful nest. 
The sedge-warbler (Salicaria phragmitis) is always found near 
water. It sings late at night, and early in the morning before 
it is light. Its notes, though somewhat hurried and confused, 
are sweet and varied. They are often mistaken by persons, 
