Chapter XI: Introduction (10)

ATTRACTIVE QUALITIES.--The song of the male is as unmelodious as that
of the fieldfare. These birds make a great noise when they are
collected in large flights upon the alders, in March and April, but
their warbling hardly deserves the name of song. I have known but one
which succeeded in imitating, though very indifferently, the notes of
the song thrush and some loud tones of the nightingale. It is not
therefore their song which will gain these birds a place in the
house; but they may please by their familiarity, their patience,
their easy motions, and the readiness with which they obey orders.
Bird catchers keep them principally as decoy birds. They are good
eating.

THE ROSE OUZEL.

Turdus roseus, LINNÆUS; Le Merle Couleur de Rose, BUFFON; Die
Rosenfarbigedrossel, BECHSTEIN.

This is a bird which from its beauty certainly merits a place in this work. Its length is nearly eight inches, of which the tail measures three, and the beak one. This latter is black, sometimes lead-coloured, from the base to the middle, and flesh or rose-coloured from the middle to the point; the iris is whitish; the shanks are fourteen lines high, lighter or darker flesh-coloured; the claws are blackish. The head, neck, and throat, are black, with the tips of the feathers white, very much like the starling, and changeable into green, blue, and purple; the feathers at the top of the head are long and narrow, and rise elegantly into a crest; the back, the rump, the shoulders, the breast, the belly, and the sides, are of a brighter or paler rose-colour, according to the age and season.

The female differs from the male only in being less highly and brilliantly coloured.

HABITATION.--When wild these birds are to be met with in many parts of
Europe and Asia. The inhabitants of Aleppo and the neighbourhood see
with pleasure the arrival of large flights of them, in the months of
July and August, to extirpate the clouds of locusts which then ravage
the country. Great numbers are also seen in spring on the banks of
the Don and Irtish, where they build and find abundance of food; also
on the shores of the Caspian and the banks of the Wolga. In Europe
they appear in Sweden as far as Lapland, in England, in Germany, in
Switzerland, and France: rare indeed in all these countries, but
least so in Italy.

In confinement this bird is kept in a cage of the same size as the
blackbird's.

FOOD.--When wild this bird appears to subsist entirely on insects.

In confinement it would doubtless thrive very well on the food which
is given to the blackbird, which will be mentioned hereafter. It is
better, however, to study it a little, and find out what suits it
best.

BREEDING.--It builds among rocks; but its nest has not yet been
discovered in Europe, though some circumstances indicate that it
propagates there. In 1784, in the duchy of Altenburg, three young
ones were killed, but just out of the nest, and which consequently
could not have come from far. This fact should excite the attention
and vigilance of zealous observers.

MODES OF TAKING.--Skilful bird-catchers will soon discover the means
of catching the bird: snares and limed twigs, with grasshoppers and
other living and moving insects for bait, will probably accomplish
this end. It would be hazardous to shoot the birds in the hope of
wounding them but slightly, as is sometimes done with other birds,
which soon recover, and remain tame, if, during their recovery, they
have been well treated.

OBSERVATIONS.--A sportsman discovered, in 1794, in the environs of
Meiningen, in Suabia, a flight of eight or ten rose ouzels, moving
leisurely from south-west to north-east, and passing from one
cherry-tree to another. He fired on these birds, only one fell, which
was fortunately very slightly wounded, so that it soon quite
recovered. Being immediately carried to M. Von Wachter, the rector of
Frickenhausen, this clergyman took the greatest care of it; he gave
it a spacious cage, and found that barley-meal moistened with milk
was as wholesome as agreeable to it. His kindness tamed it in a short
time so far that it would come and take from his hand the insects
which he offered to it. It soon sang also, but its warbling consisted
at first of but a few harsh sounds, pretty well connected however,
and this became at length more clear and smooth. Connoisseurs in the
songs of birds discover in this song a mixture of many others; one of
these connoisseurs, who had not discovered the bird, but heard its
voice, thought he was listening to a concert of two starlings, two
goldfinches, and perhaps a siskin; and when he saw that it was a
single bird, he could not conceive how all this music proceeded from
the same throat. This bird was still alive in 1802, and the delight
of its possessor.

THE BLACKBIRD.

Turdus merula, LINNÆUS; Le Merle, BUFFON; Die Schwarzdrossel,
BECHSTEIN.

This species, the most docile of its genus, is nine inches and a half long, four of which belong to the tail. The beak is an inch long, and orange yellow; the iris is dark brown; the shanks are an inch high, and black. The whole plumage is of a pure velvety black; the eyelids alone are orange.

The female is of a brownish black, with the breast of a reddish hue, and the belly grayish; the throat is spotted with dark and light brown. It is also rather larger than the male, which has led some persons who were not well acquainted with it to make another species of it.

The white variety is very well known; there is besides the streaked, the black with a white head, and the pearl gray.

HABITATION.--When wild the blackbird is found all over the old world,
as well as in Germany; it is the only species of its genus which does
not migrate thence.

In confinement it is kept in a large cage; it is better to keep it
separate because, whether from spite or jealousy, it is often
inclined, like the tits, to pursue and kill its little companions of
the aviary or room.

FOOD.--When wild the blackbird eats berries, and, in winter, when
insects are scarce, he seeks them near warm springs.

In confinement he is satisfied with the first universal paste, but he
also eats bread, meat, and anything which comes to table, such as a
bit of apple. More delicate than the song thrush, he would not
digest mere bran and water. He delights in bathing often, and should
therefore be furnished with the means for so doing.

BREEDING.--As the blackbird does not travel he pairs early in the
spring, and the first young are hatched by the end of March. The
nest, placed in a thick bush, or in a heap of boughs, is formed on
the outside of stalks, then of moss and mud and lined in the inside
with fine hay, hair, and wool. The female lays three times a year,
from four to six eggs, of a greenish gray, spotted and streaked with
light brown; when the young are hatched the males are always darker
than the females, therefore bird-catchers can never be mistaken when
they take the former and leave the latter. They are easily reared on
white bread soaked in boiled milk, a little raw beef, and worms
dipped in water. It is better to take them from the nest when the
quills of the feathers are just beginning to develop, because, having
then no idea of their natural song, they will retain more perfectly
and distinctly the airs which may be taught them.

DISEASES.--An obstruction in the rump gland is their most common
disorder, and must be treated in the manner described in the
Introduction. It would doubtless be prevented by never omitting to
furnish the means of bathing. With care, and a proper variety of
food, this bird will live in confinement ten or twelve years.

METHOD OF CATCHING.--Timid and distrustful, the blackbird seldom
enters the area or barn-floor trap, but it is easily caught in the
winter with a noose or springe, by using service berries for a bait.
It sometimes falls into the large traps set for tits, when the
berries are spread over the bottom; limed twigs put with the berries
in a place cleared from the snow, will catch many also; it also goes
to the water-trap, but generally at night-fall. Its call is
"_tsizirr, tak, tak_."

ATTRACTIVE QUALITIES.--The natural song of the blackbird is not
destitute of melody; but it is broken by noisy tones, and is
agreeable only in the open country. When wild it sings only from
March to July; but when caged, during the whole year, except when
moulting. Its voice is so strong and clear, that in a city it may be
heard from one end of a long street to the other. Its memory is so
good, that it retains, without mixing them, several airs at once, and
it will even repeat little sentences. It is a great favourite with
the lovers of a plaintive, clear, and musical song, and may, in these
respects, be preferred to the bullfinch, whose voice is softer, more
flute-like, but also more melancholy. The price of these two birds,
if well taught, is about the same.

THE RING BLACKBIRD.

Turdus torquatus, LINNÆUS; Merle à Plastron blanc, BUFFON; Die
Ringdrossel, BECHSTEIN.

This bird is larger than the common blackbird, being in length ten inches and a half, four of which belong to the tail. The beak is an inch long, raven gray, yellowish white at the base of the lower mandible, and yellow at the angles as well as inside: the iris is chestnut brown; the shanks dark brown, and fourteen lines high; the upper part of the body is black; and it is the principal colour of the under part also; but the feathers of the belly and the coverts of the wings are edged with white; the quill-feathers, and the outside feathers of the tail are grayish white; a white spot, tinged with red, and the size of the finger, placed transversely on the breast, serves to characterize the species, and gives it its name.

The female is of a brownish black; the transverse band on the breast is narrower, and of a reddish ash-colour, shaded with brown.

Those individuals which combine the brown colour of the female with the pectoral band, large, and of a reddish white, are young males; the others, in which it is scarcely discernible, are young females.

OBSERVATIONS.--Though the ring blackbird traverses the whole of
Europe, it builds only in the north[68]. It arrives in Germany and
England on the foggy days of the end of October and beginning of
November. It moves always in small flights, stopping generally in
spots covered with briers and juniper bushes, where it may be caught
with a noose. Its food, when free and in confinement, is the same as
that of the common blackbird, with which it has the most striking
resemblance in its gait, the motion of its wings and tail, and its
call, "_tak_." Its voice, though hoarser and deeper, is nevertheless
more harmonious and agreeable. It is so weak that a red-breast may
overpower it. It continues singing at all times, except when
moulting. It will live in confinement from six to ten years.

THE ROCK THRUSH.

Turdus saxatilis, LINNÆUS; Le Merle de Roche, BUFFON; Die
Steindrossel, BECHSTEIN.

This rare and striking bird is unknown in many parts of Germany[69]. Though its principal characteristics place it in the genus of the blackbird, it has more resemblance to the starling, both in its manners and gait, which are varied and agreeable. Its length is seven inches and a half, two and three quarters of which belong to the tail. The beak, an inch long, and the shanks, an inch and a quarter high, are black. The head and neck are grayish blue, or ash blue, lighter in the old, and darker in the young birds; the top of the back is dark brown, often varying to a lighter brown, the middle a fine white; the rump, of a dark brown, has the feathers tipped with white; the breast is dark orange, the belly the same; but, according to the season, more or less spotted and undulated with white.

The female is dark brown on the upper part of the body, with edges of whitish gray to the feathers; those of the rump are rust-colour, with the same gray edge; the chin is white; the throat brown; the under part of the neck, and the whole under part of the body, of a dirty orange, with waving lines of brown and white; the tail is paler than that of the male, and the feet are dark brown.

HABITATION.--When wild it is found in the south of Europe and Germany,
in Austria, and the Tyrol. In France, in Bugey, and more to the
south; and especially in the Alps and Pyrenees, frequenting rocks or
old ruined castles. In its migrations it visits bare rocky mountains,
searching for insects which take refuge among the stones. Its
departure is in September and its return in March.

In confinement it is furnished with a cage larger than that of the
nightingale.

FOOD.--When wild it appears to live entirely on insects.

In confinement it is fed like the nightingale; but with every care it
cannot long be preserved.

BREEDING.--The female builds her nest in an almost inaccessible
crevice of the rocks, and lays five eggs. As the young are very
susceptible of instruction, they are readily brought up when they can
be obtained[70]; they are fed and treated like young nightingales.

MODE OF TAKING.--It is by fixing to the spots they frequent plenty of
limed twigs, with meal-worms attached to them; it is said that in the
Alps and Pyrenees they are caught with a bird-call.

ATTRACTIVE QUALITIES.--It is considered one of the most agreeable
singers; and if caught young it soon acquires the songs of the other
birds of the chamber, learns to whistle tunes, and even, like the
starling, to repeat words. "It begins to sing," says Buffon, "a
little before dawn, which it announces by noisy sounds. If its cage
is approached during the night with a candle, it begins to sing; and
when, during the day, it does not sing, it appears to be practising
in an under tone, and preparing new songs."

THE SOLITARY THRUSH.

Turdus solitarius, LINNÆUS; Le Merle solitaire, BUFFON; Die
Einsame Drossel, BECHSTEIN.

This bird is eight inches and a half long, three of which belong to the tail. The beak is an inch and a quarter long, rather crooked at the point, dark brown without, and yellowish within; the iris is orange. The feet are thirteen lines high, and brown. The whole plumage is brown studded with little white spots, with a faint tint of blue on the sides of the head, the throat, under the body, on the breast and coverts of the wings; the rump is brown without spots, and the tail blackish.

The female differs from the male in having the little spots of a dirty yellow, and more numerous on the breast than elsewhere, and in being destitute of the blue tint; and finally, in having the pen-feathers and the tail-feathers simply brown.

HABITATION.--When wild it seldom quits the mountains in the south of
Europe; in spring, however, it advances as far as Burgundy, and
returns in the end of August; it arrives, in the month of April, at
the spot where it generally passes the summer, and returns constantly
every year to the place where it first took up its abode. Two pairs
are seldom found in the same district. Except in the pairing season
it is a solitary bird.

In confinement it is furnished with a cage like that of the
blackbird.

FOOD.--When wild it feeds on insects, berries, and grapes.

In confinement it is treated like the song thrush, adding ants' eggs
and meal-worms.

BREEDING.--The nest, made of blades of grass and feathers, is
generally placed at the top of a solitary chimney, or on the summit
of an old castle, or on the top of a large tree, generally near a
steeple or high tower. The female lays five or six eggs. The young
ones, if taken from the nest soon enough, are capable of instruction;
the flexibility of the throat fitting it either for tunes or words.
They sing also by candle-light in the night. If treated with care
they live in confinement eight or ten years. From the summit of a
high tower or steeple the male utters for whole days the most
beautiful and pathetic song, accompanying it by flapping his wings,
moving his tail, and elevating the feathers of his head.

ATTRACTIVE QUALITIES.--His beautiful voice is in great repute in all
the countries he inhabits; it is, indeed, very sweet and flute-like;
his song, though musical, is somewhat melancholy, as is usual with
solitary birds; many persons, however, are very fond of it. This
bird, when tamed, fetches a very high price at Milan, Constantinople,
&c. In some countries it is so much respected that it is considered
sacrilegious to kill it or destroy its nest.

THE BLUE THRUSH.

Turdus cyaneus, LINNÆUS; Le Merle bleu, BUFFON; Die blau
Drossel, BECHSTEIN.

This bird is rather larger than the common blackbird, its length being eight inches, three of which belong to the tail. The beak, fourteen lines in length, is blackish, the iris dark nut brown, the eyelids yellow; the shanks, thirteen lines in height, are blackish; the whole plumage is of an ash blue, but each feather has near its tip a transverse brown line, and the tip itself is whitish. The individual birds vary in the depth of the blue, according to their age and sex.

The female is generally more uniform in colour than the male.

HABITATION.--When wild the blue thrush is found in the Archipelago, in
Dalmatia, Italy, Spain, and other southern countries, always among
steep rocks.

In confinement it is provided with a convenient cage, like the
preceding.

FOOD.--When wild it feeds on all sorts of insects.

In confinement it is fed like the nightingale.

BREEDING.--Like the rock thrush it builds among rocks, on ruined or
deserted towers, and the like. The young are reared in the same way
as those of the nightingale.

ATTRACTIVE QUALITIES.--Its pretty plumage and fine voice do not
constitute its only attractions. It is very easily tamed, and is very
capable of instruction, and amuses much by its natural gait and
habits, which very much resemble those of the rock thrush.

THE REED THRUSH.

Turdus arundinaceus, LINNÆUS; La Rousserole, BUFFON; Die
Rohrdrossel, BECHSTEIN.

This bird has so much resemblance to the white-throats, as to cause a hesitation whether it should be ranged with them or with the thrush; but the form of the beak and feet, and generally the whole colour of the body, are in favour of the latter. The total length is at most eight inches, four and a quarter of which belong to the tail, which is of a rounded wedge-shape. The beak is ten lines in length, and strong, flattish, brown at the point, yellowish at the base, and orange on the inside; the iris is dark maroon. The shanks are an inch high, strong, and brownish gray, blending into flesh-colour. This bird is so like the nightingale, that if the tail were reddish it would be mistaken for it. The top of the head and neck are dark gray, with a light olive tint; a line of dusky yellow extends above the eyes from the nostrils to the middle; the cheeks are brownish gray; the back and the coverts of the wings reddish gray, which becomes lighter, and passes at the rump into pure rust-colour.

The female differs from the male only in being smaller, rather darker on the upper, and lighter on the lower parts of the body; the white of the throat is less extensive, and the upper part of the head is tinged with red.

HABITATION.--When wild it is found all over Europe, with the exception
of the most northern parts; it is a stranger in those parts of
Germany only where there are neither lakes, ponds, nor stagnant
rivers abounding with rushes; for it is always on their banks and in
large swamps that it resides, and more frequently on the ground than
in trees[71].

In confinement it is provided with a nightingale's cage.

FOOD.--When wild it feeds on aquatic insects, the enormous multitude
of which it seems intended to diminish. In order to catch these it is
continually seen climbing the stems of the rushes and reeds: it also
eats berries.

In confinement, hitherto, no food but that of the nightingale has
succeeded with it, and that even for only four or six months. It is
soon attacked by a disease which carries off great numbers of
white-throats: the feathers falling off without being renewed, the
bird declines and dies of atrophy[72].

BREEDING.--The nest is found fastened with wool to the stems of the
rushes, or the branches of neighbouring bushes. On the outside it is
formed of moss and stubble, firmly mixed, and lined on the inside
with fine hay and hair. The eggs, five or six in number, are grayish
white, spotted with black. The young, before the first moulting, have
the appearance of a white-throat, with some dark spots on the breast.
They are taken from the nest and reared, like young nightingales, on
ants' eggs; and if they are placed near this winged Orpheus, they
learn his song so well and so perfectly that they become as excellent
performers as their masters, with the additional advantage of
possessing a noise more flute-like and less shrill than that of the
nightingale.

MODE OF TAKING.--The great difficulty of catching this bird makes it
scarce in our rooms. The only means is to ascertain well the place it
frequents, then to scratch up the earth and throw upon it some
meal-worms, and cover the place with limed twigs.

ATTRACTIVE QUALITIES.--With a more beautiful and musical voice, its
song is also more varied than that of the song-thrush, without being
so long, so sustained, or so brilliant, as that of the nightingale,
with which it most deserves to be compared. Some of its couplets
resemble those of the blackcap, but broken, like those of the
song-thrush. When caged it may be much improved by imitation of the
notes of the nightingale, which the young easily copy. It is
particularly in the morning and evening that the reed-thrush utters
his beautiful warblings. Not only is his throat then in motion; his
wings, his tail, and his whole body, are agitated as if to follow the
cadence and the measure.

THE NIGHTINGALE.

Motacilla Luscinia, LINNÆUS; Le Rossignol, BUFFON; Die
Nachtigall, BECHSTEIN.

This bird, whose plumage is very ordinary, is scarcely five inches long, two and a half of which belong to the tail. But, in confinement, when it is well fed, and especially when it has been bred from the nest, it is commonly larger, reaching sometimes the size of a lark. The straight beak is seven lines in length, thin, with the two mandibles of nearly the same size, and dark brown above, light gray below, flesh-coloured at the base, and yellow within; the iris is brownish grey. The shanks, three quarters of an inch high, are flesh-coloured; the upper part of the body is brownish gray, tinted with rust-red, and in very old birds is reddish ash-coloured.

Among individuals in confinement, some are lighter, others darker. When placed in the windows of a large well-lighted room, which is not exposed to smoke, they are in the upper parts dark gray, or light brownish gray, and the feathers have a reddish edge; below they are white, and grayish on the sides. But those which are shut up in small ill-lighted rooms, subject to smoke, soon lose their colours, the upper part of the body becoming dingy red, the under part grayish white, and the sides brownish gray.

Those accustomed to birds distinguish the female at a glance. Her shanks are not so high: she is not so erect; her head is not so long and pointed, but rounder; her neck is shorter, and more inclined back; her eye is smaller and less lively; and her throat is not so white. Notwithstanding these characteristics, no other than an experienced person could decide the sex unless he had them both before him.

Nightingales so strongly resemble the female redstart, that the latter is often caught and sold for a nightingale, while the nightingale in its turn is killed and eaten for a redstart. To avoid mistakes, we must observe the following particulars:--The female redstart is always smaller, and her plumage darker: her small feet and beak are blackish; the red of her tail is lighter, and the two middle feathers are blackish, or very dark brown; this long slender tail is in continual motion, while the nightingale moves his only at intervals, for example, when he has hopped a few steps, and he generally carries it raised higher than the point of his wings. His step and attitude are prouder, and his actions seem more deliberate. When he walks, it is by measured regular hops. After a certain number he stops, looks at himself, shakes his wings, raises his tail gracefully, spreads it a little, stoops his head several times, raises his tail again, and proceeds. If any object attracts his attention, he bends his head towards it, and generally looks at it with only one eye. It is true that he jumps hastily upon the insects which constitute his food; but he does not seize them so eagerly as other birds; on the contrary, he stops short, and seems to deliberate whether it is prudent to eat them or not. Generally he has a serious circumspect air, but his foresight is not proportioned to it, for he falls readily into all the snares which are laid for him. If he once escapes, however, he is not so easily caught again, and becomes as cunning as any other bird. The same, indeed, may be said of all birds pursued by man. Nightingales are called, in my opinion very unjustly, silly and curious; for a great number of new things may be offered them without exciting the least attention; but scratch or dig the earth, and they approach directly, because instinct or experience tells them that they shall there find insects, which they are very fond of. Many other species of this group do the same thing; for instance, the blackcap and the red-breast, without its having been mentioned. These birds do not, however, deserve so much of our attention as the nightingale.

HABITATION.--When wild, nightingales are found throughout Europe, as
far as the north of England and the middle of Sweden: in all Asia, as
far as the temperate regions of Siberia; and in Africa on the banks
of the Nile. They every where choose for their residence places which
are shady, cool, but not cold, such as woods, thickets, and even mere
hedges in the fields. They do not go beyond the skirts of the forests
on high chains of mountains, and never stop on elevations where the
air is too keen. Groves, thick brambles, tufted bushes near fields
and meadows, are their favourite abodes. They also like gardens
planted with untrimmed elm-hedges, which are consequently thick and
bushy down to the ground. It is not true that they like watery
situations, and if they frequent them it is not for the water, but
because they generally produce thick tufted bushes. It must also be
owned that their favourite food is more constantly abundant in such
places, and if the cold destroys the insects elsewhere, plenty may
always be found in them. It is not however the less certain that the
water is not the attraction, or all would repair to its vicinity,
which experience contradicts. The fact is, that each nightingale
generally establishes himself in the place which gave him birth,
whether near the water or not, whether in an orchard or on a
mountain; and when once he has fixed on a spot, he returns to it
every year, unless the place has lost its charm or advantage. If the
wood for instance has been cut down, or has lost the thick shade,
which was its chief merit, in such circumstances he seeks in the
neighbourhood another spot more to his liking. But if, in a
considerable circuit where no change has taken place, a nightingale
is seen to establish himself in a spot which was unoccupied the
preceding year, it may be concluded that it is a young bird which was
born in the vicinity. Convenient places are so much valued, that if
the possessors die or are caught, new comers seize upon them
immediately; so that the bird which we hear to-day, is very possibly
not the same which sang yesterday in the same place. Many other
causes may also concur in producing this change of inhabitants, which
an ear well versed in the language of these birds will always
discover.

It may, perhaps, be asked why, in many places which appear so well
adapted to attract nightingales, none are found[73]. I reply that
these spots may be concealed by woods or mountains, and not lie
perceived by the nightingales in their journeys, or they may be quite
out of their route, for they have a regular one which they never
quit, because, their progress being slow, and subject to
interruptions, it is requisite that they should find on their passage
every thing necessary for their subsistence, and too cold an
atmosphere is painful to them. It may also happen that the
nightingales which formerly frequented them, may have been altogether
extirpated; and as it has been said that the young always establish
themselves in the district which gave them birth, it is by no means
surprising that they should not be chosen, at least there are many
chances against it. Rather than wait in vain for this chance, there
is a means of re-peopling such places with these charming birds. It
is only necessary to bring up some broods of young ones, and not let
them loose in the following spring till after the period of return is
elapsed; because being no longer excited by the instinct which
induces them to travel, and the instinct itself being subdued in a
great measure by their imprisoned education, they will not wander,
but will remain and propagate, provided they are not disturbed, and
will return the year following with all their family. I must not omit
to say that the young intended for this re-peopling must not be
confined in a cage, as they would lose the use of their wings, and
run the risk of perishing the first day of their liberation. As soon
as they can feed themselves, they must be allowed an entire room, in
which they may fly freely, and grow strong and bold. A sort of grove
should be formed of branches or small trees, and nature should be
imitated as much as possible also in feeding them, by throwing to
them more insects and ants' eggs than usual, to accustom them to seek
for them.

The period of the nightingale's return throughout the greater part of
Germany, is the middle of April, rarely either earlier or later[74]:
it is always when the white-thorn begins to expand its leaves.
Advancing slowly and gradually, these birds are not so likely to
suffer from bad weather as those which go straight to their
destination by one stage. In the middle of August each family
prepares to depart; this is done quietly, removing gradually, and
passing from grove to grove to the end of their journey; then it is
that these birds are caught with nooses or springes, by using
elderberries or currants for a bait. The middle of September is the
latest period at which they are seen in Germany. All then disappear
imperceptibly, so that the time they employ in the rest of their
journey is altogether unknown. Other birds, whose instinct leads them
to travel in large flights, do not so easily escape observation. If
by accident a nightingale is met with at the end of September, or in
October, it must have been delayed by some peculiar circumstance; for
instance, it may be a young one that has lost its way, or that was
hatched late, or it may be an invalid.

In confinement nightingales may be allowed to fly freely, as I have
often permitted them; but they do not then sing so well as when in a
cage, where they are less subject to interruptions, and where also
they live longer and more healthily, from being fed with more care
and regularity. The nightingale's cage, of whatever form, must not be
less than a foot and a half in length, by about one in width, and one
or more in height. The top should be made of linen or soft stuff,
that when jumping and struggling, especially when first caught, he
may not injure his head. The drinking-cup and feeding-trough are
fastened on the outside, unless it is preferred to introduce the
latter within, in the form of a drawer. The following are the best
form and proportions for a nightingale's cage, that I am acquainted
with:--Length, one foot and a half; breadth, eight inches; height,
fifteen inches in the middle; thirteen at the sides, because the roof
is arched. The sides are made of osiers about a quarter of an inch
thick; the bottom is made of the same material, but it is covered by
a drawer an inch and a quarter in depth. In order to clean it more
easily, I cover it with coarse paper, which I renew every time. The
feeding-trough is introduced on one side, with edges high enough to
prevent the bird's spilling too much of the food. In the middle of
the front of the cage, and extending from top to bottom, is a
cylindrical projection in the form of a belfry, in which is suspended
a large drinking-glass. The upper stick of the cage is confined here,
terminating in a fork, or fixed to a semi-circle, that the projection
may not be prevented from moving. This projection is made of osiers,
like the rest of the cage. The middle and lower sticks are covered
with green cloth, firmly sewed on, that the nightingale may have a
softer perch, and not have his feet so soon injured, which is very
common with imprisoned birds. The arched roof is also covered with
green stuff, which is painted that colour with oil paint, as well as
the whole of the cage. But it must be well dried, and quite free from
smell before the bird is put into it.

My reasons for preferring this cage are, first, because being small,
it occupies less room, without disadvantage to the bird or to the
apartment; second, because the size of the osiers leave small
intervals for the admission of light, and it is consequently darker;
third, because the bird can bathe without wetting his cage or his
perches: and consequently his feet remain cleaner and more healthy.

As to the situation of the cage, the prisoner's taste must be
consulted. Some nightingales dislike being in the window, and prefer
a dark corner of the room; others like the light and the sun. If it
is wished that a nightingale should sing everywhere, it is necessary,
when he is moulting, and before he resumes his song, to accustom him
to a change of place, by carrying him sometimes here, sometimes
there. Some will sing only when they are alone, while others like to
perform alternately with a neighbour; but they never sing so loud and
well when there are several in a room. Perhaps jealousy is the chief
cause of this. On these occasions, the first that begins generally
maintains the superiority; the others sing only when he stops, and
this but seldom, and in an under tone. Some are so sulky that they
will not sing at all. Some of these obstinate pouters are
occasionally, from their silence, mistaken for females, and
consequently dismissed from the room, but when they find themselves
alone they begin to sing at full stretch.

FOOD.--When wild nightingales feed on insects, especially little green
caterpillars, of which they clear the bushes and trees, small
butterflies, flies, and beetles, and the grubs of insects hid among
moss or in the earth, which are discovered by turning it up. At their
departure, towards the end of summer, they also eat elderberries and
currants.

In confinement, meal worms and fresh ants' eggs are the first things
which should be offered to birds which are just caught; in place of
these, when it is not possible to procure them, some persons prepare
a mixture of hard eggs, ox heart, and white bread, some mouthfuls of
which they force the birds to swallow, and then throw some meal worms
on the rest, to induce the nightingale to eat it; but this artificial
food is so unfit for these birds, especially at first, that it kills
the greater number. They may also be injured by forcibly opening
their delicate beak. When ants' eggs cannot be procured, it is better
to set the birds at liberty than thus to sacrifice them. Their best
food in summer is ants' eggs, to which are daily added two or three
meal worms[75]; when none of the former remain fresh they must be
supplied by dried or rather roasted ox heart and raw carrot, both
grated, and then mixed with dried ants' eggs[76]. The carrot, which
may be preserved fresh in sand in the cellar, prevents heat in the
stomach and bowels; a little lean beef or mutton minced small may
also be used sometimes; after different trials, it is in this way I
feed my nightingales. The cheapest food is very ripe elderberries,
dried and mixed with ants' eggs, in the same way as the carrots and
white bread.

Some bird-fanciers, in winter, bake a little loaf made of the flour
of peas and eggs, which they grate, moisten, and then mix with dried
ants' eggs; others, who would still be more economical, pound
poppy-seeds in a mortar to express the oil, and then mix them with
the crumb of white bread; when accustomed to it the birds seem very
fond of it, but a proof that it does not agree with them is that they
soon fall into a decline and die. This plan has lately been
introduced into Thuringia; but knowing, as I do from experience, that
the stomach of the nightingale is not formed to digest such food,
since he is not graminivorous, I take care never to administer it;
and I think I ought to warn others against it. The best will always
be the simplest, and that which is most conformable to nature. Those
who adopt that which I have mentioned will have the satisfaction of
finding their nightingales healthy, cheerful, active, and good
singers.

I have already said that I have tried letting them run about the
room, feeding them upon the common universal paste; but this food is
not sufficiently nutritious for them: on this diet they can hardly
pass six months without falling into a decline, and they would
inevitably perish if they were not speedily restored to one which is
fitter for them. They require fresh water every day, as well for
bathing as drinking; they habitually bathe, when caged, after
singing. They have also been observed to do so the first thing in the
evening, when the candles were lighted.

BREEDING.--Each nightingale has his little district; and if in the
pairing season several males are found together, very angry battles
take place, which end in the flight of the weakest. The commonest
quarrels of this kind are between fathers and sons. The latter,
having been born in the place, determine to fix themselves in it; all
feeling of relationship is then extinguished, and they are strangers;
the relations of father and son, those sweet ties, hitherto so close,
are suddenly broken, never more to be felt.

The nest is built in a grove or orchard, among a heap of branches, or
on a thorn bush, or the trunk of a tree surrounded by briars; or even
on the ground when it may be hid by tall grass or thick bushes. Its
form is simple and inartificial, on the outside dry leaves, on the
inside hay, fine roots, with the hair of animals, is all the
apparatus. The female lays from four to six eggs, of a brownish
green, on which she sits a fortnight. The young are fed with small
caterpillars and butterflies. As the low position of the nest exposes
them to become the prey of carnivorous quadrupeds, they soon quit it,
even before they can fly. Their plumage before moulting has no
resemblance to that of the old birds except the red of the tail; the
upper part of the body is of a reddish grey, spotted with yellowish
white on the head and coverts of the wings; the under part is of a
rusty yellow, spotted on the breast with dark brown; but after
moulting the resemblance is so perfect that they can hardly be
distinguished. If, therefore, any of these birds are caught towards
the end of summer, they are carefully examined on the back of the
head, round the eyes, and under the beak and neck, for, provided
there remains in these places a small feather, or mere yellow point,
it is sufficient to ascertain that they are young. As these are the
only means of judging, if no marks appear, it is necessary to wait
for a few days till the bird begins to sing. This, however, is not a
sure sign, as the young females sing as well as the males, till the
month of April, though in a weaker and more unconnected way, and
without so visibly swelling their throats: it is by these nice
observations that connoisseurs succeed in distinguishing them. It may
also be remarked, as a help to those who wish to rear nightingales,
that, when in the nest, those which are marked with white, and
especially those which have a white throat, are males; the reddest
and brownest being always females. The young, when taken, are fed
with ants' eggs mixed with white bread, grated and moistened. The
males begin to warble even before their tails are quite grown: if the
father and mother are taken at the same time as the young ones, they
will, when caged, continue to feed them as before. It is said that
nightingales sometimes build in the bird room; this, however, can
only succeed by giving up to a tame healthy pair a whole room, in
which a sort of grove should be formed of branches.

DISEASES.--In general moulting amounts to a disease among
nightingales: at this critical time they require a more succulent
diet, and sometimes a spider by way of purgative. If their stomach is
disordered they puff up their feathers, half shut their eyes, and
remain for hours with their head under their wing. They are relieved
and cured by ants' eggs, some spiders, and by giving them
occasionally water impregnated with saffron till it is of an orange
colour, to drink.

As to those diseases which they have in common with other birds, they
are treated according to the directions given in the Introduction. It
is especially necessary, every three months, carefully to remove the
large scales from their legs and toes. A nightingale may be kept in
confinement fifteen years; whilst in a wild state they are never
observed to exist so long in the same spot, which seems to prove that
they do not attain so great an age when exposed to all sorts of
accidents, both from birds of prey and bird-catchers. I have an
instance of a nightingale which has lived twenty-five years in
confinement. When they have reached six years they begin to sing less
frequently and long, with less brilliancy and ornament; it is then
better to set them at liberty in the month of May. The open air often
invigorates them so much that they regain their song in all its force
and beauty.

MODE OF TAKING.--Nothing is easier than to catch a nightingale in the
season of pairing. If a little furrow, smooth at the bottom, is dug
in a dark soil, and some meal worms or ants' eggs are thrown into it,
he will immediately fly to these delicacies. By putting also in the
same place limed twigs, or a small net which may be easily dropped,
he will soon be caught; it is even sufficient to fix over the furrow
a bit of wood supported by a stick, which will fall as soon as the
bird perches upon it. He is so unsuspicious that he observes the
snare being laid, and then foolishly falls into it, when the
bird-catcher has moved only a few steps from it; he will even allow
himself to be led to it when at a little distance, if in a gentle
manner. A bird-catcher may thus, in a few hours, depopulate a whole
district of these delightful songsters. If, however, this is feared,
there is a means of baffling his intentions, by anticipating him, and
catching the nightingale we wish to preserve in our neighbourhood,
either by a limed twig or in a net, and letting him go again. This
experiment will prevent his falling so readily into the snare in
future. In the greater part of Germany, indeed, it is forbidden,
under a very heavy penalty, to catch nightingales. Another mode of
taking them is by nooses and springes, and suspending for a bait,
instead of berries, live meal-worms; but there is one disadvantage
attending it, while struggling the bird almost always injures his
feet, especially in springes.

ATTRACTIVE QUALITIES.--The first good quality of a nightingale is
undoubtedly its fine voice, and notes which I shall endeavour to
describe. The nightingale expresses his different emotions by
suitable and particular tones. The most unmeaning cry when he is
alone appears to be a simple whistle _fitt_, but if the syllable
_crr_ is added, it is then the call of the male to the female. The
sign of displeasure or fear is _fitt_ repeated rapidly and loudly
before adding the terminating _crr_; whilst that of satisfaction and
pleasure such, for example, as conjugal endearments, or on the
occasion of finding a delicate morsel, is a deep _tack_, which may be
imitated by smacking the tongue.

In anger, jealousy, rivalry, or any extraordinary event, he utters
hoarse disagreeable sounds, somewhat like a jay or a cat. Lastly, in
the season of pairing, when the male and female entice and pursue
each other, from the top of a tree to its base, and thence again to
the top, a gentle subdued warbling is all that is heard.

Nature has granted these tones to both sexes; but the male is
particularly endowed with so very striking a musical talent, that in
this respect he surpasses all birds, and has acquired the name of the
king of songsters. The strength of his vocal organ is indeed
wonderful; and it has been found that the muscles of his larynx are
much more powerful than those of any other bird. But it is less the
strength than the compass, flexibility, prodigious variety, and
harmony of his voice which make it so admired by all lovers of the
beautiful. Sometimes dwelling for minutes on a strain composed of
only two or three melancholy tones, he begins in an under voice, and
swelling it gradually by the most superb crescendo to the highest
point of strength, he ends it by a dying cadence; or it consists of a
rapid succession of more brilliant sounds, terminated, like many
other strains of his song, by some detached ascending notes.
Twenty-four different strains or couplets may be reckoned in the song
of a fine nightingale, without including its delicate little
variations; for among these, as among other musicians, there are some
great performers and many middling ones. This song is so articulate,
so speaking, that it may be very well written. The following is a
trial which I have made on that of a nightingale in my neighbourhood,
which passes for a very capital singer[77]:--

_Tioû, tioû, tioû, tioû.
Spe, tiou, squa.
Tiô, tiô, tiô, tiô, tio, tio, tio, tix.
Coutio, coutio, coutio, coutio.
Squô, squô, squô, squô.
Tzu, tzu, tzu, tzu, tzu, tzu, tzu, tzu, tzu, tzi.
Corror, tiou, squa, pipiqui.
Zozozozozozozozozozozozo, zirrhading!
Tsissisi, tsissisisisisisisis.
Dzorre, dzorre, dzorre, dzorre, hi.
Tzatu, tzatu, tzatu, tzatu, tzatu, tzatu, tzatu, dzi.
Dlo, dlo, dlo, dlo, dlo, dlo, dlo, dlo, dlo.
Quio, tr rrrrrrrr itz.
Lu, lu, lu, lu, ly, ly, ly, ly, liê, liê, liê, liê[78].
Quio, didl li lulylie.
Hagurr, gurr quipio!
Coui, coui, coui, coui, qui, qui, qui, qui, gai, gui, gui, gui[79]
Goll goll goll goll guia hadadoi.
Couigui, horr, ha diadia dill si!
Hezezezezezezezezezezezezezezezeze couar ho dze hoi.
Quia, quia, quia, quia, quia, quia, quia, quia, ti.
Ki, ki, ki, ïo, ïo, ïo, ioioioio ki.
Lu ly li le lai la leu lo, didl ïo quia.
Kigaigaigaigaigaigaigai guiagaigaigai couior dzio dzio pi._[80]

If we could understand the sense of these words, we should doubtless
discover the expression of the sensations of this delightful
songster. It is true that the nightingales of all countries, the
south as well as the north, appear to sing in the same manner; there
is, however, as has been already observed, so great a difference in
the degree of perfection, that we cannot help acknowledging that one
has a great superiority over another. On points of beauty, however,
where the senses are the judges, each has his peculiar taste. If one
nightingale has the talent of dwelling agreeably on his notes,
another utters his with peculiar brilliancy, a third lengthens out
his strain in a particular manner, and a fourth excels in the
silveriness of his voice. All four may excel in their style, and each
will find his admirer; and, truly, it is very difficult to decide
which merits the palm of victory. There are, however, individuals so
very superior as to unite all the beauties of power and melody; these
are generally birds of the first breed, which, having been hatched
with the necessary powers, in a district well peopled with
nightingales, appropriate what is most striking in the song of each,
whence results this perfect compound, so worthy of our admiration. As
the return of the males in spring always precedes that of the females
by seven or eight days, they are constantly heard to sing before and
after midnight, in order to attract their companions on their journey
during the fine nights. If their wishes are accomplished they then
keep silence during the night, and salute the dawn with their first
accents, which are continued through the day. Some persist in their
first season in singing before and after midnight, whence they have
obtained the name of nocturnal nightingales; but they cannot be
distinguished till after some time, when they are established in
their district, and have the society of their females. After repeated
experiments for many successive years, I think I am authorised in
affirming that the nocturnal and diurnal nightingales form distinct
varieties, which propagate regularly: for if a young bird is taken
from the nest of a night singer, he, in his turn, will sing at the
same hours as his father, not the first year, but certainly in the
following[81]; while, on the other hand, the young of a day
nightingale will never sing in the night, even when it is surrounded
by nocturnal nightingales. I have also remarked that the night
singers prefer mountainous countries, and even mountains themselves,
whilst the others prefer plains, valleys, and the neighbourhood of
water. I will also venture to affirm that all the night singers found
in the plains have strayed from the mountains; thus in my
neighbourhood, inclosed in the first chains of the mountains of
Thuringia, we hear only night singers, and in the plains of Gotha
they know only the day nightingale.