Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: ROADSIDE SINGERS AND COVERT WARBLERS I. ROADSIDE SINGERS Above all other migrant songsters ranks the sober-plumaged bird which for so many generations has had a romantic reputation peculiarly his own, the nightingale, or "voice of the night." Merle, mavis, and plain-song cuckoo have all claimed a large amount of notice, but the nightingale is essentially the poet's favourite. There are beautiful legends and traditions, which are still believed in by those who live beneaththe shadow of green trees, referring to the nightingale; in fact, each county that the bird visits has its own nightingale lore. In the southern parts of England this fine singer may be seen first about the middle of April; but this will depend on the weather, for migrants are very often about, yet do not show themselves. The cock-birds are the first to come over, and the hens follow. It is not yet quite settled whether they migrate in company, or come, so to speak, in driblets: my own opinion, formed from a close observation of their habits, is that they come anyhow, in very loose order. I do not assert this, but only give the opinion for what it is worth. It is well known that on their first arrival they have been found close together on the shore in numbers, but they may have dropped down miles apart in the first instance. One bird will call to another for a long distance until they get in close company ; and a certain district, or even a particular patch of saline vegetation, may be for a few hours all alive with certain birds, and these only; and then they are gone again, and not one will you find. " Birds of a feather flock together," and "any port in a storm " are very] old, but very true,sayings. Tired-out birds must rest for a time, and they do, when they can go no farther. The nightin... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.