NIGHTINGALE, Philomela, a genus of birds of the family sylviathe, approaching in character to the meruli dce, the young having their first plumage mottled, as in the and the legs being longer than in the fauvettes and other eylviadre, with which they are commonly classed. The bill is straight, slender, not quite as long as the head; the wings do not much pass beyond the base of the tail; the first quill is very short, the third is the longest; the tail is slightly rounded.—The Comfox NIGHTINGALE (P. luseinid) is well known as the finest of songsters. It is rather larger than the hedge-sparrow, with about the same proportionate length of wings and tail. It is of a rich broWn color above, the rump and tail reddish, the lower parts grayish white. The sexes are alike. It is a native of many parts of Europe and Asia, and of the north of Africa; and is a bird of passage, extending its summer migrations in the continent of Europe as far north as the south of Sweden, but in Britain it has scarcely ever been seen further north than York shire. It is plentiful in some parts of the south and east of England, but does not extend to the western counties, and never appears in Ireland. It frequents thickets and hedges, and low damp meadows near streams. The extensive market-gardens near London are among its favorite haunts. It feeds much on caterpillars and other larva:. It arrives in England about the middle of April, the males ten or fourteen days before the females. It is at this season, and before pairing has taken place, that bird
catchers generally procure nightingales for cage-birds, as they then become easily recon ciled to confinement, whilst, if taken after pairing, they fret and pine till they die. The nightingale makes its nest generally cn the ground, but sometimes on a low fork of a bush. The nest is loosely constructed of dead leaves, rushes, and stalks of grass, with a lining of fibrous roots. The eggs are four or five in number, of a uniform olive-brown. The song of the male ceases to be heard as soon as incubation is over. In captivity, however, it is often continued through a more considerable period. The nightingale usu ally begins its song in the evening, and sings with brief intervals throughout the night. The variety, loudness, and richness of its notes are equally extraordinary; and its long quivering strains are full of plaintiveness as well as of passionate ecstasy. The nightin gale has been a favorite from most ancient times; and is often mentioned in the poetry of India and Persia, as well as of Greece and Rome. The loves of the nightingale and the rose are a fanciful theme in which eastern poets delight. The nightingale much resembles the redbreast in manners, and is eqUally pugnacious. It has been known to breed with the redbreast in captivity.—There is another mid rather larger species of nightingale in he east of Europe, faintly mottled on the breast.