Of Singing-Birds.

57

How to find the Nightingals Nest, and totake Brancherj-

N Ow I have shewed where they Build, and howto Feed and Order them, I shall shew you theway of taking Young and Old. For taking ofYoung Birds, observe where the Cock sings, andif you find him to sing long in a place, then theHen sits not far off; but if he hath young ones, hewill ever now and then be miffing, and then theHen when you come near her Nest will sweet andcur i and if you have searched long and cannotfind them, stick a Meal Worm or two upon aThorn, and observe which way he carried it, andstand still, or lie down, and you will hear themwhen she feeds them, (they make a great noise forso small a Bird) ; when you have found the Nest,if they be not fledged enough, touch them not, forif you do, they will never tarry in the Nest, andthen it will be lost labour, to be deprived of itwhen you have found it: Now for to take yourBranches, which is young ones that have been bredup by the old ones in the Field, You must go to suchplaces that are most likely for Food, for the Old oneswhen they have pushed the Young ones out of theNest, (which we call Pushers) leads them from theplace they were bred in, to a place more plentifulof Food, for they commonly destroy all the Foodthat is near in bringing them up, so are forced toseek out further to preserve their young ones :When you have found where they be, which youshall know by their curring and sweeting; for if youcall true, they will answer you immediately > then

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