John Legg

“ It is the gay meadow and the grove, the contest for a female, the fluttering from hedge to hedge, their unconfined liberty, and their roving at large in the extensive landscape of nature, which enables the little songsters to exalt their strains, and raise their notes to a state of perfection. ”

“ The haunts of the nightingale are chiefly thick hedges, low coppices, and bushes, especially where there are little rivulets, brooks, or streams of water near them: it also delights in solitary groves, sequestered meadows, shady places, and the most retired situations. ”

“ Tho' I have taken the liberty to point out a few mistakes in the above mentioned writers, far be it from me to deprecate their labours: their works are truly valuable, and of great worth to the public. There are however many errors and many inaccuracies which want rectification in the writings of almost all our natural historians. It were therefore sincerely to be wished, that the naturalists would write with more exactness, more faithfulness and precision, as nothing is more rare than to find accuracy in their descriptions, novelty in their account of facts, or delicacy in their observations. ”

“ Stick two or three meal worms or caterpillars on the thorns near the place where the old ones frequent, and carefully observe which way they carry them, and you will hear the cry of the young, the old ones also will make a great ado, flutter around you with dishevelled wings, and incessantly exert themselves in a kind of mournful note or plaintive strain when you approach the nest. ”

“ Thus one of them tells us in his description of the cuckoo, that it builds a nest like other birds with thorns, long grass, hay, &c. hatches, and brings up its young. The same author informs us that the water-wagtail is a bird of passage, and is never seen in this country in winter—that the crow, the raven, and the pie, like the rapacious tribe, kill and eat small birds—that the white owl has a hooting note, and never appears in moon light evenings, all which assertions are certainly false, as must be obvious to every one who is the least conversant in this part of natural history. ”

“ Like the wood lark and most others of the small bird tribe, the cock of the species is very frequent in his song during the time of incubation. The reason of birds being more constant in singing at this period, is to sooth and delight the female whilst sitting: it is also supposed to be a signal of safety to inform her that no danger is near.
The nightingale sits about fourteen or fifteen days; and such is her patience and perseverance, that neither the calls of hunger nor the approach of danger can force her from her nest. ”

“ The haunts of the male should be first discovered, and the trap-cage should be placed as near the spot where the bird sings as possible. Before you fix the snare turn up the earth a little, which will tempt them to look there for food, and lime-twigs may also be placed in the hedge at the same time, with a few meal-worms stuck at proper places to draw them into the snare. ”

“ In short, in that little bill seems to reside all the melody which man has vainly endeavoured to bring from a variety of musical instruments. Some even seem to be possessed of a different song from the rest, and contend with each other with great ardor. The bird overcome is then seen only to discontinue its song with its life [1] ."
This bird is somewhat larger than a redstart: in its plumage it resembles the female of that species, but it is of a longer body, and more elegantly formed. ”

“ For this purpose the most private and commodious situation is sought for, where they may lay their eggs, and bring up their young in security. Often the male and female on this occasion pass several days before they can find a place proper for their purpose. In general they build their nests at the bottom of hedges, and in small bushes, not far from the ground; and of all the feathered tribe, none secretes it so artfully as the nightingale, which is the reason why their little mansions are so seldom discovered. ”

“ It frequents cool and shady places, and is usually seen in hedge-rows or low bushes, as it delights in no high trees, except the oak. For weeks together, if undisturbed, it will sit upon the same tree, unless when moved to satisfy the calls of hunger. Shakespear, therefore, very properly describes the nightingale sitting nightly in the same place. Singing at night is a peculiarity common to the nightingale only, no other birds found in Great Britain exerting themselves at that season. ”

“ The missel thrush, if we credit this author, lays eggs like those of the throstle, and is a fine song bird: the flycatcher, he informs us, builds its nest in low bushes, and lays blue eggs, which I suppose must be meant of the hedge-sparrow: the common wren, he assures us, lays sixteen, and sometimes twenty eggs at a time, and the long-tail titmouse fourteen; and it is his opinion that the titmice tribe emigrate, and that there is a great analogy between the note of the common, and the golden crowned wren. ”

“ On the contrary, when the spring comes late, and is cold and severe, as it sometimes happens, the nightingale, and all our summer birds that annually migrate from one country to another, are retarded in their passage, and are never seen here till the vernal season is very far advanced. ”

“ Throughout the whole great care has like-wise been taken clear up the faults, and rectify the mistakes, to correct the blunders, and explode the errors of former writers; who, instead of copying nature, and representing things with justness, plainness, and perspecuity, have, too often added from their own imaginations, and imposed on the reader scarce any thing but fables, fictitious stories, and chimerical absurdities. ”

“ If the bird is sullen, and will not eat, take him in your hand, and force open his bill, giving him the insects, or four or five bits of food as big as peas, to entice him to eat. His common food should always be minced with ants, that when he picks up the ants, he may pick up some of that with them. ”

“ When you perceive him take to his meat voluntarily, give him less ants in it, and finally nothing but sheep's-heart and egg; for unless you accustom him to this diet, he will die inevitably at the approach of winter, when insects can no longer be found. ”

“ IT has been asserted by many reputable naturalists, both ancient and modern, that the nightingale never sings near its nest, for fear of its being discovered by that means; but I will beg leave to affirm from a long course of observation and experience in ornithology, (which indeed for many years past has been my chief study, [2] and principal amusement) that it always sits and sings not far from the spot where all its affections are centered ”

“ When you have found the nest, if the young ones are not fledged they must not be touched, for if they are taken out of the nest, they will never continue there afterwards, as they will be anxious to leap out, or the old ones will entice them away. ”

“ When it hath come early, the succeeding season hath sometimes been remarkably cold and wet. We must not, thefore, always depend upon the prophetical observations of great men, though they aspire to reach the temple of fame, and make a great noise in the world. ”

“ The young should be twelve or fourteen days old before they are taken, and though at first they will be apt to refuse their meat, yet when they are forcibly fed for a few days, they will soon voluntarily take their food. ”

“ When young, there are no infallible marks to distinguish the cocks from the hens; but in old birds I have observed the colours of the male are more vivid and bright than those of the female; however, by their singing a distinction may be made with facility.—In a state of confinement, the nightingale will sing seven or eight months in the year, viz. ”

“ Their lives are protracted or abridged according to the good or bad management of their owners. In the midst of winter, if they are kept clean and warm, they will sing most delightfully, though with less energy and vigour than at the proper season, and when wild. It is asserted by some, that they usually improve in their song for the first six years, but afterwards decline by degrees. Lord Bacon saith, when the nightingale arrives early, it portends a hot and dry summer to follow ”

“ Apparently sensible are they that they have many enemies lying in ambush to destroy their rising progeny, and frustrate their laudable intentions. The hawk, the kite, &c. must be guarded against, the malignant ravages of lurking reptiles must be taken care of, and man particularly, their chief invader. This prompts them to exert all their little arts to be secure of danger, and to arm their little houshold from view amidst the shelter of entangled thorn, and the thick covert of brambles, nettles, &c. ”

“ As soon as you have taken them, their wings should be gently tied, to prevent their fluttering and beating themselves against the cage, which should be placed against a window, and covered over, that the sight of any object may not disturb or intimidate them.——At first he should be fed with sheep's-heart and egg mixed very fine, and it is necessary to give him, at intervals, other food, which when wild they feed on, such as small worms, caterpillars, and other insects. ”

“ In the autumnal season, nightingales will sometimes grow so enormously fat, as to endanger their lives. Therefore when they get flesh too fast, they should be frequently purged, and two or three speckled spiders should be given them every day. ”

“ As soon as they are capable of feeding themselves, put each into a single cage, at the bottom of which should be some soft kind of fluff, such as wool, hay, or dry moss. When they are full grown they should have ants mould, and sometimes a few meal worms or caterpillars may be given them. ”

“ When their legs are gouty, they should be anointed with lard, fresh butter, or capon's grease, three or four days together. If they grow melancholy, put a little liquorice or sugar-candy in their water. ”

“ They should be covered up warm, kept very clean, and fed regularly every two hours from morning till night. The best food for them in this premature state, is raw flesh, which should be minced very fine, and mixed with a small quantity of hard boiled egg. ”