The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-06-30
THE NIGHTINGALE.
His Habits Described and the Poets
Justified.

nightingale has become a favorite pet. At
the Crystal Palace show, held in mid
February. there was a special class for it
Philomel was put in cage, judged FOR
points, tckefad with a price, and ranged
with robins. 6ullfnches sllylarlls, Hnnets,
and other victims Of the same depraved
aste. It was a sorry spectacle. The
little brown bird. excited with the chirrup-
ing and warbling going on around, pecked
furiousy at the wire or made a poor at
tempt to sing. Yet even amid that babel
of home and foreign birds no one could
help remarking the richness and beauty
that distinguished his tones from the
rest We have little faith in the effect
of any elaboration directed to those ca
pable of the enormlty of imprisoning
migrant, and taking pleasure in the des-
cant of Gagged nightingale; but the bleak
ness of the Crystal Palace in February
emphasized the beauty Of the birds nat
ural surroundings.
He arrives here in April, and is in full
song during May, the most exquisite Of
English morths. Listening 10 him the
other day al faYorite haunt, l could not
get out of my mind the Crystal Palace
show, with as grabbing bird dealers and
bargain hunters, its old-maidish connois-
seurs and cruelty disguised as love. The
place was by an elongated pond, on which
the young water lily leaves already are
floating and early breeding moor hens
w. s"''illl'ils VIII tlen pI0Oua l4''l-S'
uushS' dil'h,a'eu Dalls q uo"u' rom one
suSe d sloIIhs park sIIetcIes away SCI
WIN EN- ana chestnut trees, teAoefly green
with the first foliage. The grass, also
young and green is brushed with white
daisies. Along the brink are snowy crab
apple trees i'm blossom and great haW
tiloIHs JUST breaking ilto pIooHL Wh4te
puu ana green rear blehdlns ih'o ueH-
cate gray over the SWafu the swallows
are @haSng themselves at lheif own
weet VIII cuckoos' with something OF
q haWk carriage, but lacking tAat pro S
boid ana vigorous flight fly
IRON tree to tree, male chasing
female and shouting his bell-like cry
10 her. All the While. so high as 10 be
nearly invisible, three or four larks, from
as many dliferent points, are shoWering
tAelr Ifesh ana rejoicing song. TO sit on
a Iallen Tree ana look over the water with
its lilies 10 the park with its daisies, and
at the same time to hear those glad anc
paSslongte notes, is TO drink an the very
spirit q the English spring.
II Is noi the landscape, however, which
the nightingale affects, On the hither side
OF lhe pond IS plantation of dark-ook-
lS& yeWs- ana behind these kind of viii
Gefhess or shruboery, SO thick and moist
that only mere ana there are few open
S9ots some azure with blue bells, others
Wnlte Sitter OF anemones, while the less
CONSPICUOUS violet blooms round the stems
on trees ana scarcely raises It's stalk above
TIE "ltherL9s OF last year. To the dark
fS?tsSes Oh tnls ,undergfoWth, rich in the
calerpillafs on winch he feeds, the night
lis4le comes every year All day long,
as wen as an night long, his voice sounds
a
olld music IS rising all round. The thrush
| rom some loimost spray, the blackbird
! rom me brake Whislle clear and loud
| the chllt-chaH gnpds out his dissyllabic
| sfnS' tHe chaIhhch ms Drlef stanza. the
| rom ms tehdef Hutihg, a hundred others
/ each ms separate lay, but the nightingale
/ = tne most distinguished OF an Among
me plrds u Is PROBABLE that the cuckoo
/ as me least passionate HIS food is moi
4 plehuIuL @hd MS sour IS divided between
loEe anu munger he sings brief tune
ihdulscs an no prolonged courtship, has nc
| 'iafe IOr MS progeny, ana altogether re-
duces MS proSchltive duties to their low
est terms. The nightingale is at the other
I extreme. III you listen 70 him at night
ana carefully abstain from reading into
ms notes those human emotions with
/ Which poets nave endowed them, the ar
resting characteristic Of PmlomeTs song
rs rs t9foobing passion
ne very appearance or the bird-alert
eager fearless-as from a dim retreat he
pours out his melody is suggestive of de-
sire. And as often happens, the madlest
I lover becomes the most devoted parent
Inc Nightingale makes careless nest on
1 the ground; 1t may easily be mistaken for
a heap Of willow leaves and rubbish: bui
no bird is more solicitous of the welfare
/ OF its young. Indeed all its habits point
to nature of rare constancy. The cuckoo
wanders from grove to grove and from
love TO love, mating with each but for q
moment; the nightingale so regularly re-
turns 10 the same station that his appear
anee beyond certain well-marSed bounda-
ries is chronicled as an event Indeed
there are many who are incredulous wher
the assertion is made that this bird has
even been heard north Of the Humber Ma
| ture Goes not work on such rigid cast-iror
lines. and Of many authenticated cases Of
The nightingale appearing far from IT'S MS
: VA habitat / will mention two One is Or
the authority Of Lady Margaret Cameron
OF LqchieL whose memorandum IS dated