

ig2 THE NATURAL HISTORY 
young fometimes, become the prey of ee 
- -weafels, polecats, and fnakes. | 
The female lays five egos, fits very clofe, and 
only leaves her neft in the evening, when prefled 
‘by hunger; whilft fhe is abfent, the cock feems 
to watch the neft. In eighteen or twenty days 
the young are hatched. The number of males 
is faid to exceed the number of females, fo much, 
that if by accident the cock fhould be killed, the 
female would foon be fupplied with another, lo 
that the young birds would not fuffer. | 
The female, like the female Canary J Bird, feeds 
her young with food that fhe brings up out of het 
own ftomach; the father affifts in the care of the 
young, and she it is that he feldom fings: pros 
bably that he may not difcover the neft; though 
vf it fhould be approached, he does not practice | 
any of that artifice which fome other birds em« 
ploy to miflead, but oftentimes betrays it by his 
fears, and his cries, | 
dn. fifteen days the young are hedged. 
In Auguft, the old-and the young Nightingales 
Jeave the woods, and frequent bufhes, hedges, 
and fields lately ploughed, perhaps in order to 
procure a greater plenty of worms, and infedts, — 
Tf an attempt be made to rear young Nightin- 
gas it will be beft to sey thofe of the firft hatch 
an 




