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The well-known and far-famed Nightingale is, happily for ns, an inhabitant 
of England, visiting ns abont the middle of April and remaining nntil the 
breeding season is over. 
As is well known, the song of the Nightingale is mostly nttered in the 
evening, bnt the bird may sometimes be heard in full song throughout the day. 
Towards the end of June, when the young birds are hatched, the song changes 
into a kind of rough croaking sound, which is uttered by the way of warning, and 
accompanied with a sharp snapping sound of the beak. The time when the 
Nightingales sing loudest and most constantly is during the week or two after 
their arrival, for they are then engaged in attracting their mates, and sing in 
fierce rivalry of each other, hoping to fascinate their brides by the splendour of 
their voices. When once the bird has procured a partner, he becomes deeply 
attached to her, and if he should be captured, soon pines away and dies, full of 
sorrowful remembrances. The bird dealers are therefore anxious to catch the 
Nightingale before the first week has elapsed, as they can then, by dint of care 
and attention, preserve the bird in full song to a very late period. 
The colour of the Nightingale is a rich hair-brown upon the upper parts of the 
body, and greyish- white below, the throat being of a lighter hue than the breast 
and abdomen. The entire length of the bird rather exceeds six inches. 
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