Barely documented singing birds.

It was good to read Mark Singleton's piece on the Colibri singing
bird, and by coincidence I too have been seeking info on another form
of singing bird box which seems to escape mention in the literature.
This is the "Nightingale" or "Chant du Rossignol" box, and likewise
the only reference I could find was in a 1975 issue of "The Music Box."

I have had one or two through my hands in my auction career, and now
have another, among 20 or so musical boxes in the sale of Music and
Entertainment at SAS on November 23 (Lot 135):

http://www.specialauctionservices.com/large/me231117/page003.html 

It is a plain square walnut case, containing what must be essentially
the same as the better class of singing bird-in-cage movement.  I have
never seen one with a maker's name (but they are probably French,
circa 1890-1900), and I wonder what their purpose was?

Christopher Proudfoot

 [ At http://www.gazette-drouot.com/static/magazine_ventes_aux_encheres/cotes_et_tendances/oiseaux_chanteurs.html 
 [ "Teaching singing canaries indeed requires a certain personal
 [ investment: the airs are warbled by flutes, into which one blows,
 [ then by serinettes, those portable organs upon which one turns
 [ the crank."  Maybe the Nightingale box was for teaching birds.
 [ -- Robbie