THE CHOICE OP A NIGHTINGALE. 
be stuck upright at the front of the hole by means of some 
slight support. The board that stands over the hole must be 
so attached to the baited platform, that when the bird, bent on 
securing part of the tempting spread, alights on the latter, it 
falls, bringing with it the former, securely covering in both bait 
and bird. 
Another way is to merely loosen the surface of the soil, 
sprinkle about some mealworms or earwigs, and round about 
the bait to plant limed twigs. However, the first-mentioned 
trap will be found superior to this or any other. As soon as 
your bird is caught, it is a good plan to carefully pull out a 
few of the small feathers about the vent, or it may happen 
that they will become matted together, and cause an obstruc- 
tion and the death of the bird. Also slip an elastic band (you 
may buy them at any stationer’s) over the body, so as to con- 
fine the wings to the sides before you put them in the store 
cage, otherwise they will flutter about and do themselves some 
injury. 
It is difficult to get newly-caught old nightingales to eat. 
Indeed, for the first two or three days you will find it necessary 
to feed them, as you would fledglings, with mealworms and 
moistened bread. Some persons prefer to feed them with raw 
sheep’s heart and bread three times a day, leaving in the interim 
a supply of the same food in the food-box, mixed with a few 
live ants, that the bird may be tempted to help himself. How- 
ever I cannot recommend this latter plan, as a sort of scurvy 
about the base of the beak very generally follows its adoption. 
Do not remove the elastic band from about his body for at least 
a week. 
The Choice op a Nightingale. — Unless the reader is pos- 
sessed of abundant perseverance and patience, he must be 
content with such opportunities as chance may throw in his 
way of hearing the song of the nightingale in its wild state. 
True enough, you may buy caged and singing nightingales for 
six or seven shillings each, but they may not, when in your 
possession, be worth as many pence. I know of no bird so 
peculiar and whimsical as this. He will sing up-stairs, and 
will mope and sulk if you bring him down ; hung on the right- 
hand side of the room, he will pipe away merrily enough ; shift 
him to the left-hand side, and he is at once mute. I have known 
one to pout for a week because the room in which he always 
hung was papered with a new paper of a different colour from 
the old. A friend of mine has a nightingale, a splendid fellow, 
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