The Nightingale. 229 
Its song is composed of several musical passages, each of 
which does not continue more than the third part of a 
minute ; but they are so varied, the passing from one tone 
to another is so fanciful and so rapid, and the melody 
no sweet and so mellow, that the most consummate 
musician is pleasingly led to a deep sense of admiration 
on hearing it. Sometimes, joyful and merry, it runs 
dow r n the diapason with the velocity of lightning, touch- 
ing the treble and the base nearly at the same instant ; 
at other times, mournful and plaintive, the unfortunate 
Philomela draws heavily her lengthened notes, and 
breathes a delightful melancholy around. These have 
the appearance of sorrowful sighs ; the other modula- 
tions resemble the laughter of the happy. Solitary on 
the twig of a small tree, and cautiously at a certain 
distance from the nest, where the pledges of his love are 
treasured under the fostering breast of his mate, the 
male fills constantly the silent woods with his harmo- 
nious strains, and during the whole night entertains 
and repays his female for the irksome duties of incu- 
bation. The iSightingale not only sings at intervals 
during the day, but waits till the blackbird and the 
thrush have uttered their evening call, even till the 
stock and ringdoves have, by their soft murmurings, 
lulled each other to rest, and then pours forth his full 
tide of melody : 
" Listening Philomela deigns 
To let them joy, and purposes, in thought 
Elate, to make her night excel their day." 
Thomson. 
It is a great subject of astonishment that so small a 
bird should be endowed with such potent lungs. If the 
evening is calm, it is supposed that its song may be 
heard above half-a-mile. This bird, the ornament and 
charm of our spring and early summer evenings, as it 
arrives in April, and continues singing till June, dis- 
appears on a sudden about September or October, when 
it leaves us to pass the winter in the North of Africa and 
Syria. Its visits to this country are limited to certain 
counties, mostly in the south and east ; as, though it is 
