Maison rustique, or The countrey farme· Compyled in the French tongue by Charles Steuens, and Iohn Liebault, Doctors of Physicke. And translated into English by Richard Surflet, practitioner in physicke. Now newly reuiewed, corrected, and augmented, with diuers large additions, out of the works of Serres his Agriculture, Vinet his Maison champestre, French. Albyterio in Spanish, Grilli in Italian; and other authors. And the husbandrie of France, Italie, and Spaine, reconciled and made to agree with ours here in England: by Geruase Markham. The whole contents are in the page following

CHAP. XLVIII.

To bring vp Nightingales that are taken in March.

IT is true, that the Nightingales which are taken after the first of March vnto the middest of Aprill are very fit to keepe and bring vp. When therefore you haue a Nightingale of this season, you shall put her in a cage well wrapt about with paper, for feare that vpon the ••ight of any man, she should beate her selfe and crie, as also to the end that she may learne to eate alone. For to do this, you shall haue a vessell of glasse like a cuppe without a foote, wherein you shall put seuen or eight small wormes, and set them neere the bird, who seeing them craule within the glasse, will by and by for enuie at them fall of p••••king them, wherefore you shall giue her them quicke for the first time. The second time mince and cut them small: and when you see that she eateth well of such meate, you shall take of a sheepes heart well beat and cut, and mingle it with the said wormes, and making thereof as it were a paste, giue it her to ea••e. But if you perceiue, that in feeding, she chuse to eat of nothing but the wormes, leauing the heart, you shall inde∣uour your selfe to mixe it with all possible care and cunning, that so in eating she may not chuse but eate of both together, that is, both of the wormes and of the heart.

And when she is accustomed to eate of this mixture, you shall by little and little take away the wormes, and feed her only with the heart. Let it not be found strange vnto you to see your Nightingale continue some daies without eating. For the cause why it so falleth out, is, because they are grieued for hauing lost their libertie, and thereupon continue some time without eating or feeding of any thing; some, three daies; others, fi••e or sixe daies; yea, eight or ten daies: whereat you must not maruel, neither yet leaue off to feed them. For there are some old ones, which though they bee hard to feede, become notwithstanding better singing birds than any of the young ones.

If peraduenture the bird will not take any other thing than wormes, giue her a birds bill full foure times a day, and three or foure morsells at a time, and not any more, because of digestion, and when she shall haue accustomed to take the mix∣ture of the heart with the wormes, giue her twice a day onely, that is to say, morning and euening, for to preserue and maintaine her. And this is the order and course that yee shall take.

Notes

• To bring vp Nightingales taken in March