undulated, while the outer margin of the exterior feather,
and the tips of that and of the next, are pure white. No
grey in the plumage. Total length, including tail, 13 inches.
(Sw.)
Locality.-Africa. Common in Senegal.

Whether or no these ornamental plumes are lost after the season of incubation is a subject for future inquiry; but they are certainly of very unequal lengths in different individuals. We have seen them in one bird only seven inches long, while in that now before us they measure in extreme length seventeen inches; the webs occupy exactly six, while all the rest of the shaft is naked, the rudimentary hairs on each side merely indicating the position of the laminæ, had they been developed. We cannot subscribe to an opinion we have heard expressed, that these latter have been rubbed or worn off. Another specimen, which we suppose is the female, is perfect in all its plumage, but has no indication, as already observed, of these feathers. In their texture they are remarkably flexible, moving about with the least breath of wind. The inner web is so broad, that the lamina in the middle measure 24 inches; the outer web, on the contrary, is very narrow, and the longest laminæ are hardly half an inch.'

This is the Caprimulgus Macrodipterus of Afzelius, and the Caprimulgus longipennis of Shaw. Locality.-Africa, Sierra Leone.

Scotornis climaturus. (Caprimulgus climaturus, Vieill.)

Macrodipteryx (Sw). Rictus strongly bristled. Wings long, equal to the tail, and with a lengthened reniform feather in each. Tail even.

Example, Macrodipteryx Africanus, Pennant-winged Night-Jar, or Long-shafted Goat-sucker.

Description.-Wings, for the small size of the bird, very long, rather exceeding, or at least equalling, the tip of the tail, which is quite even and consists of ten feathers. Of the three first quills, which are much the longest, the first is shorter than the third, which is slightly succeeded by the second. The long-shafted feathers are inserted immediately between the primary and secondary quills. The bristles of the mouth are strong and equal to the length of the bill, which is weak. The middle toe is lengthened, and the lateral toes are equal. Colour of the plumage mixed, as in others of the family. Upon each web of each of the primary quills is a row of nine rufous and nine black spots: the rufous bars become very small towards the tips, where the black predominates. The lesser quills are black, with four rufous bands, the tips black. The middle tail-feathers are grey, speckled with black points, and crossed by six black bars, all of which are irregular, excepting the last, which, as on all the other feathers, is regular, well defined, and placed just behind the tips; the outer web of the exterior feather is fulvous white, with about ten black spots, at equal distances from each other. Some of the scapulars have a broad cream-coloured stripe, which forms a connected series when the feathers lay over each other, but those which are conspicuous on the supposed female can scarcely be discerned in the male; this latter however has a few obMacrodipteryx Africanus. Male. scure white mottles on the chin, throat, and round the ears. long, equal to the tail, which is short and even. Total length about 8 inches. Proïthera (Sw.). Rictus almost smooth. Wings very

Mr. Swainson, from whose Birds of Western Africa' the

very naked,

Tarsus

Example, Proithera diurna (Caprimulgus diurnus,

above description is taken, observes that the female is en- Wied., Nacunda, Temm.). tirely destitute of the long-shafted or supplementary feathers.

Description: Female.-Plumage above a mixture of

'Now this,' says Mr. Swainson,' is a very important fact, for grey-brown, yellowish-red, and brownish-black, marked it goes far to prove that they are not essential to the economy with great spots of blackish-brown, with wide borders of of the species; for if otherwise, both sexes would possess yellowish-red; chin pale yellow, striped with grey-brown; them, unless it be contended, a supposition highly impro- tail marbled with brownish-black and bright yellow, with bable, that the male feeds in one manner and the female in nine or ten transverse bands speckled with brownish-black. we are led to conclude that they are more ornamental than of the belly white, spotless. Length rather more than 10 another. In the absence of all information upon this point, Plumage beneath white lineated with grey-brown; middle

useful, given to the male sex as attractive decorations to inches.

the female, in a similar manner as the flowing feathers of the Paradise Bird are known to distinguish the male sex.

Habits.-See ante, pp. 224, 225.
Locality-Brazil and Paraguay.

It is singular, that concurring, as all the more modern authors do, that the Nightingale is not now to be found in Wales, a Welsh name for the bird should exist; yet Pennant gives this name in his list, and it will be found at the head of this article. Pennant, be it remembered, only excludes it from North Wales.

In Ireland the Nightingale seems never to have been heard.

Mr Yarrell, who remarks that it is not included by Mr. | Rylands in his Catalogue of the Birds of Lancashire,' though it has been heard as high up as Carlisle, but no farther, goes on to state, that on the eastern side of our island the bird frequents Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, some of the more wooded parts of Lincolnshire, and several parts of Yorkshire; but not higher than five miles north of the city of York, as he learned from his friend and correspondent Mr. Thomas Allis. Mr. Yarrell states his belief that it has not been heard in Scotland or in the Scottish islands, which, he adds, considering that it visits Denmark, is extraordinary. He then quotes from a note to an edition of White's' Selborne,' published in Edinburgh, the following record of an attempt to establish the Nightingale in Scotland :-It has been generally believed that the migratory songsters, both old and young, return to their native haunts in the breeding Impressed with this belief, Sir John Sinclair, Bart., long known for his patriotism, commissioned the late Mr. Dickson, of Covent Garden, to purchase for him as many Nightingales' eggs as he could procure at a shilling each. This was accordingly done, the eggs carefully packed in wool, and transmitted to Sir John by the mail. Sir John employed several men to find and take care of the nests of several Robins, in places where the eggs might be deposited and hatched in security. The Robins eggs were removed, and replaced by those of the Nightingale, which were all sat upon, hatched in due time, and the young brought up by the foster parents. The songsters flew when fully fledged, and were observed for some time afterwards near the places where they were incubated. In September, the usual migratory period, they disappeared, and never returned to the place of their birth.'

season.

Description.-Rich brown above; rump and tail with a reddish tinge; throat and middle part of belly dirty or greyish-white; lateral parts of the neck, breast, and flanks grey; bill and legs light brown. Sexes alike,

Habits; Food; Reproduction.-The Nightingale shuns observation, abiding in the thickest coverts, and in these the nest is sometimes placed on a low fork, but generally on the ground. Withered leaves, particularly those of the oak, very loosely conjoined with dried bents and rushes, and lined internally with fine root-fibres, form the structure. The eggs, of an olive-brown, are four or five in num ber. After the young are hatched, generally in June, the melodious song of the male ceases, and is succeeded by a low croak, varied occasionally with a snapping noise; the first is considered to be meant for a warning, and the last as a defiance. The food consists of insects, such as flies and spiders, moths and earwigs. Green caterpillars were the food brought by the parent birds to the nest of young Nightingales taken by Colonel Montagu, It is not improbable that the bird's choice of localities is in some measure determined by the absence or presence of some favourite insect food,

Luscinia Philomela (Bonaparte). The Nightingale.

Nightingale, Philomela Turdoides of Blyth, Luscinia major of Brisson, Sylvia Philomela of Bechstein), inhabiting central Europe. The song of this species is loud, but far inferior to that of the true Nightingale. It is said to be common in Egypt.

Mr. Swainson makes the Philomelince the second subfamily of his Sylviada. [SYLVIADE.]

NIGRIN, oxide of titanium, containing about fourteen per cent. of iron. It resembles menaccanite in colour, lustre, and appearance of the fractured surfaces. It occurs in Ceylon and in Transylvania.

NIKA, a name given by M. Risso to a genus of Macrurous Crustaceans, placed by M. Milne Edwards between the genera Caridina and Athanas in the tribe of Alpheans, to which the latter zoologist also refers the genus Autonomea. [SALICOQUES.]

NIKON, a celebrated personage in the annals of Russia, and the sixth patriarch in the Russian church, was born in May, 1605, in a village near Nischnei-Novgorod, where his father was a husbandman. A natural inclination for study led him to become the pupil of a monk in the convent of St. Makarius. The taste which he there acquired for monastic life and discipline was so strong, that although he married, in compliance with the pressing instances of his family, he separated from his wife after ten years' union, and prevailed upon her to enter the convent of St. Alexis at Moscow, while he himself retired to a small island in the White Sea, not far from Solowetz, where there was a brotherhood of hermits living in detached cells. The desolation of the place and the severity of the discipline served rather to increase than to abate the ardour of the new recluse; but the zeal of the brethren led to dissensions that terminated in his expulsion, or at least his flight. Being desirous of replacing their wooden church by a stone edifice, Nikon, and Elizar, the founder and head of the community, proceeded to Moscow, where they collected contributions for the purpose; but on their return, Elizar took the money into his own keeping, and manifested no intention of applying it to the intended purpose. This led to remonstrances and altercations; and to such persecution on the part of Elizar, that Nikon pushed off from the island in a small boat; and after incurring great danger, was driven to the island Kj, at the mouth of the Onega, where he set up a wooden cross. At the same time he made a vow to erect a monastery on that spot, in fulfilment of which may now be seen the magnificent cloister of the Holy Cross. Associating himself with a community called the Koscheoser hermits, he so distinguished himself by his superior sanctity and severity of life, that on the death of their abbot, or principal, he was elected in his place, in 1645. Being compelled three years afterwards to take a journey to Moscow, to arrange some affairs of their community, he there became known to the Czar Alexis Mikailovitch, who was so struck with his eloquence and understanding, that he caused him to be appointed archimandrit of the Novospasky Convent. A new career was thus suddenly opened to him: his influence with the sovereign increased daily, and he employed it in behalf of the distressed. On being appointed metropolitan of Novgorod, in 1648, he attached the people of that city to him no less strongly: his eloquence drew crowds to hear his discourses in the cathedral, and his bounty maintained numbers during a severe famine. Besides this he appeased a violent popular insurrection at Novgorod in 1650, at very imminent peril to his own person. In the mean while he continued in high favour with the Czar, who frequently corresponded with him, and who, on the death of the patriarch Joseph, in 1652, appointed him his successor. It was about this time that he commenced his reforms in the books, as he had previously done in the liturgy, of the church; and held several councils relative to the translations of the Scriptures. But herein his zeal led to his disgrace: his reforms were regarded as dangerous innovations; and notwithstanding the Czar had shown such friendly confidence in him as to place his own family under his care during the pestilence at Moscow in 1653-4, and had attended at the consecration of the Voskresensky monastery (erected by Nikon) in 1657, the patriarch's enemies contrived to prejudice him in the good opinion of his sovereign, and in 1658 he retired to the monastery just mentioned, situated about forty versts from the capital, whence he refused to return. How this unfortunate quarrel and misunderstanding originated is not precisely known; and it will be sufficient

There is another European Nightingale (The Thrush here to remark that it increased, till at length, in 1667, a

Nikon compiled a collection of ancient Russian coronicles to the year 1630, which were printed by the Academy of Sciences of St. Petersburg, in eight volumes, quarto, 17671792. He also wrote several dogmatical and theological pieces, which were printed in his lifetime.

NILE (Nilus, in Latin), the name of the great river of Eastern Africa, the various branches of which have their rise in the high lands north of the equator, and, flowing through Abyssinia and other regions to the westward of it, meet in the country of Sennaar. The united stream flows northwards through Nubia and Egypt, and after a course of more than eighteen hundred miles from the farthest explored point of its principal branch, enters the Mediterranean by several mouths, which form the delta of Egypt. The word Nil seems to be an old indigenous appellation, meaning river, like that of Gir in Soudan and other countries south of the Atlas. The modern Egyptians call the river Bahr-Nil, or simply Bahr; in Nubia it is called by various names; in Sennaar the central branch, or Blue River, is called Adit; and in Abyssinia, Abawi. The three principal branches of the Nile are-1, the Bahr el Abiad, or White River, to the west, which is now ascertained to be the largest and longest; 2, the Bahr el Azrek, or Blue River, in the centre; 3, the Tacazze, or Atbara, which is the eastern branch. These three branches were known to Ptolemy, who seems to have considered the western as the true Nile, and to have called the others respectively Astapus and Astaboras. He fixed the sources of the western river in numerous lakes at the foot of the Mountains of the Moon, which he placed in 10° S. lat. Strabo (p. 821) speaks of the island of Meroe as bounded on the south by the confluence of the Astaboras, Astapus, and Astasobas. In another place (p. 786) he says that the Nile receives the Astaboras and the Astapus; which latter' some call the Astasobas, and say that the Astapus is another river which flows from some lakes in the south, and makes pretty nearly the direct course of the Nile, and is swollen by the summer rains.' While these passages certainly prove that the antient geographers knew that there were three main streams, they also prove that their notions about them were confused. The numerous reports of the natives, who call this ridge or group of Mountains by the Arabic version of the same name, Jibalu 'l Kamari, though generally pronounced Jibali ' Kumri, which would mean blue mountains,' seem to agree in placing the sources of the Abiad several degrees north of the equator, at nearly an equal distance between the eastern and western coasts of Africa. But we have no positive information either as to the true position of the sources or of the mountains. According to the report of Antonio Fernandez given by Tellez, the high land of Abyssinia extends to the south into the kingdom of Narea, the northern part of which is about 8° N. lat., and it probably extends thence to the westward through central Africa. The Balir el Abiad was traced upwards by Linant, in 1827, as far as Aleis, a direct distance of 132 geographical miles south of Khartum, which is in 15° 34' N. lat. and about 32° 30' E. long., and at the confluence of the Blue and White Rivers. Since that time a party of Turco-Egyptians, headed by Ibrahim Kashef, an officer of the viceroy of Egypt, marched upwards from Khartum for thirty-five days along the banks of the river. On the twelfth day they reached the first island of the Shilluks, and after traversing the territory of that people they entered on the twenty-ninth the country of the Denka, probably the Donga of Browne, through which they continued to ascend along the banks for six days more, when they began to retrace their steps. At this point the river was shallow, full of islands, and six hours in breadth; and there were no mountains in sight. The latter part of the march appears from the description of Ibrahim to have been in a direction nearly west, and as the first island of the Shilluks, which they reached on the twelfth day, is not

council was held at Moscow, at which the Czar himself | far from Aleis, according to Linant's statement, the extreme presided, and which was attended by the patriarchs of point attained by Ibrahim was probably about 10° N. lat. Alexandria and Antioch, those of Constantinople and and 29° E. long. The result of this expedition agrees with Jerusalem having excused themselves. The result was Browne's report from hearsay, in giving an easterly course that Nikon was deposed from his dignity, and was banished to that part of the river which is south of Dar-Fur, and placto the Bieloozersky monastery, with the rank of a simple ing its sources full to the south-westward of that kingdom. monk. There he remained until after the death of Alexis, | (Col. Leake's paper On the Quorra,' in the 2nd vol. of the whose successor, Pheodor Alexievitch, granted him per- Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, and mission to return to the Voskresensky monastery; but he Linant's Journal of a Voyage up the Bahr el Abiad, with died on his journey thither, at Yaroslav, August 17th, some general notes on that river and illustrative maps, in 1681, at the age of seventy-five. the same volume.) The enormous breadth attributed to the Abiad by the Turkish party, although it may be exaggerated, leaves little doubt that the river at the extreme point of their journey was much broader than at its junction with the Blue River, and indicates that it has a peculiar character, its origin being perhaps in a lake or lakes which may be supplied by streams flowing from a distant range of mountains. The existence of lakes which have communication with the river only in time of high water is rendered highly probable by a passage in Linant's 'Journal,' which states that at the time of the inundation of the White River a prodigious quantity of fish is brought down towards Khartum by the current.

Mr. Holroyd, in his Notes on a Journey to Kordofan in 1836-7,' in the ninth volume of the Journal of the London Geographical Society,' states that Khurshid Pasha told him that he had been twenty-one days above Aleis, on the Bahr Abiad, in the boats of the country with soldiers, and had reached Denka. He mentioned that the river divided a considerable distance above Khartum, but was not prepared to say which was the direction of the White Nile properly so called. In the country of the Shilluks it seems that several rivers join the Bahr Abiad from the west, the names of which are mentioned by Linant in his Notes. One of these may be the Bahr el Adda mentioned by Browne as the last western tributary of the Bahr Abiad.

The Bahr Abiad, which at its confluence with the Blue River is only about 1800 feet wide, is described by Linant as being, just above it, in many places a mile and a half wide in the month of April, and even then far within its regular banks, which sometimes appeared four miles distant from one another, and were distinctly marked beyond these limits by a wide sandy beach without any appearance of verdure. But even this is not the full width at the greatest height, as the river then overflows the adjoining country, and the waters extend in some places above twenty miles from side to side. The shores of the river are very flat, especially on the western side, and the water is deep only towards the middle of the stream, where Linant found it to be from three to four fathoms. The rise of the Bahr Abiad is not perceptible till some time after that of the Bahr Azrek, according to Linant; but an American who accompanied Ismael Pasha to Sennaar in 1821 says that 'the Abiad commenced its rise this year about twenty days sooner than the Adit (the name of the Blue River in Sennaar), and that the difference of colour of their waters proves that they flow through very different soils. The white colour of the Abiad is occasioned by a very fine white clay with which its waters are impregnated, whilst the Adit is almost black during the season of its increase.'

At the confluence the contrast between the two streams, says Linant, is very great, the waters of the Abiad being always white, and as it were soapy, even in the dry season, when the Azrek is of a greenish hue. The Abiad remains of the same colour during the inundations, when the Bahr Azrek becomes reddish owing to the alluvium brought down by its affluent the Bahr Toumet, which comes from the highlands of Narea and falls into the Azrek in the province of Fazuolo, above Sennaar.

The Bahr el Azrek, or Blue River, which was long supposed to be the main brauch of the Nile, has three sources in the high land of Gojam, near the village of Geesh, south-west of lake Dembea, in 10° 59' 25" N. lat. and 36° 55' 30" E. long., according to Bruce's observations. The Agows, who inhabit that district, worship the river. [ABYSSINIA; BRUCE.] The sources of the Azrek appear to have been visited by Father Paez, and perhaps by other missionaries, long before Bruce. The vast importance attached to that discovery has become much diminished since the infor mation which we have acquired of the Abiad, whose sources are still unexplored, and still involved in that mys tery which the antients represent as hovering about the fountains of the Nile. After a north and north-west course of about seventy miles, the Azrek, or Abawi, as the Abys