387 
I came into this neighbourhood I was a perfect stranger to their 
song [Mr. H. is a Cumberland man], but here being so much 
struck with their plaintive sprightly notes, I was determined to 
procure one if possible, that very same season. This I accom- 
l>lished by finding one of their nests, and have continued to retain 
three or four constantly in my jjossession for the sfiaco of more than 
sixteen years. You wished mo to write down any observations I 
iniglit think worthy of notice respecting these sweet birds. The 
few that I am able to communicate, I send you with the greatest 
ideasure. I ho first nest that I found, being over anxious to have 
them in my possession, I took the young home too early, and on 
that account, they all, e.xcopt one, perished before tliey were capable 
of feeding themselves ; their complaint was the cramp in their feet 
and legs, which generally ends in death. This I find to be mostly 
the case, when deprived of their natural food whilst too young. 
The one that survived was a male bird, which was fed with lean 
beef, mutton, sheep’s heart, or bullock’s heart cut very fine, free 
from all fat, and mixed with a little of the yolk of a hard-boiled 
egg. This is their common food when kept in a cage or aviary. 
Ihis bird, whilst young, was fed with the greatest attention and 
care by one of my domestics, and by having his name Did{ or 
Dickey with the words pretty dear often repeated, after he became 
capable of singing, continually articulated these words in his song 
as plainly as any Parrot or human being, and he continued to do so 
as long as ho lived. Unfortunately a Goldfinch hung in the same 
room where he was kept whilst young; ho learned the notes of that 
bmd’s song most completely and distinctly, so that no one could 
distinguish the song of one bird from the other, except in the tone, 
and his repeatedly uttering the words Dkkcy, pretty dear. 
However, ho never could obtain the real song of the wild 
Nightingale. From my ill success in this first attempt I was 
resolved to make another trial the following spring, and bein^ 
fortunate, after a little trouble, in finding a nest not more than 
200 yards from home, to prevent my losing them by the cramp 
as before, by depriving them too early of their parents, I put 
them into a cage just before they were capable of fiying. I suffered 
the cage to remain near the nest one day, and afterwards by degrees 
removed them to the house, where they were hung anioiif^st the 
shady branches of a vine, and the old birds attended and fed them 
