NIGHTINGALE, the bird celebrated beyond all others by European writers for the vocal powers which, contrary to usual belief, it exercises at all hours of the day and night during some weeks after its return from its winter-quarters in the south. The song itself is indescribable, though several attempts have been made to express in syllables the sound of its many notes. The cock alone sings (see SONG). In great contrast to the nightin gale's voice is the inconspicuous colouration of its plumage, which is alike in both sexes, and is of a reddish-brown above and dull greyish-white beneath, the breast being rather darker and the rufous tail showing the only bright tint.
The range of the European nightingale, Luscinia megarhyncha, is peculiar. In Great Britain it is abundant in suitable localities to the south-east of a line stretching from the valley of the Exe, in Devonshire, to York, but it does not visit Ireland, Wales or Scotland. On the continent of Europe it does not occur north of a line stretching irregularly from Copenhagen to the northern Urals, and it is absent in Brittany; over south Europe otherwise it is abundant. It reaches Persia, and is a winter visitor to Arabia, Nubia, Abyssinia, Algeria and as far south as the Gold Coast. The larger eastern L. philomela, is russet-brown in both sexes, and is a native of eastern Europe. L. hafizi of Persia, is
probably the Perso-Arabic bulbul of poets.
The nightingale reaches its English home about the middle of April, the males (as is usual among migratory birds) arriving some days before the females. The nest is of a rather uncom mon kind being placed on or near the ground, the outworks con sisting chiefly of a great number of dead leaves ingeniously applied together so that the plane of each is vertical. In the midst of the mass is a deep cup-like hollow, neatly lined with fibrous roots, but the whole is so loosely constructed, and de pends for lateral support so much on the stems of the plants, among which it is built, that a slight touch disturbs its arrange ment. Herein from four to six eggs of a deep olive colour are laid, and the young hatched. The nestling plumage of the night ingale differs from that of the adult, the feathers above being tipped with a buff spot, just as in the young of the redbreast, hedge-sparrow and redstart. Towards the end of summer the nightingale disappears to its African winter haunts.
The name nightingale has been applied to several other birds. The so-called "Virginian nightingale" is a species of grosbeak (q.v.) ; the "Pekin nightingale" or "Japanese nightingale" is a small babbler (Liothrix luteus) of the Himalayas and China.