Food of the Redstart. 545 



backward season. — TV, T. Bree. Allesley Hector?/, May 12. 

 1835. 



Martin's Nest occupied by a House Sparrow. — A pair of 

 martins have built a nest to the upper cornice of Lansdown 

 House, one of the highest houses in Cheltenham. A sparrow, 

 envying them their situation, this morning took possession of 

 the nest, to the great annoyance of the poor martins, who for 

 some time in vain endeavoured to expel the intruder. At 

 length the sparrow got his neck entangled in a straw; and 

 the martins, taking immediate advantage of the circumstance, 

 succeeded in throwing him out of the nest. Not being able 

 to free himself from the straw, his efforts to liberate himself 

 only accelerated his fate, and he is now hanging by the neck 

 about a foot below the nest, quite dead; a fearful warning to 

 all burglars. — Samuel Moss. 149. High Street, Cheltenham, 

 July 16. 1836. 



Redstart, the Nature of its Food, Sfc. — This species lives a 

 good deal on the grubs of beetles, to obtain which it often 

 enters the hollows of trees, to examine the decomposed wood. 

 It also captures insects in the mode of a flycatcher ; descends 

 to the ground, and swallows moderate-sized worms, together 

 with beetles of considerable magnitude, the shards of which 

 it afterwards disgorges. In autumn, or, rather, at the close of 

 summer, it likewise feeds upon currants and raspberries, the 

 seeds of which may then be commonly found in its stomach : 

 still, it cannot be considered a pilferer to any extent : most un- 

 doubtedly, it does not rob the vines. I used formerly to keep 

 this species in confinement, and have many times watched 

 the wild birds through a glass ; but I could never perceive 

 the horizontal movement of the tail, so generally spoken of, 

 which, I am convinced, is not the case. The motion is very 

 different from that of a wagtail's tail, it is true ; but still it is 

 perpendicular : the movement is either small and quick, as I 

 have also noticed in PhcenicuraTethys ; or the tail shakes, as if 

 quite loose, and ready to fall off. The redstart is an extremely 

 tame bird in captivity, and becomes remarkably attached to 

 those it knows ; its manners are pleasing, and very robin-like, 

 and its disposition confiding and familiar. 



There is a bird called by Selby and others the blue-throated 

 redstart, which has no claim whatever to be ranged in this 

 genus. This I have also seen alive ; and a very interesting 

 species it is, approximating a good deal to the -Motacillinae. 

 Like them, it moves by an alternate use of the feet, and runs 

 very quickly ; whereas the redstart hops like a robin. It con- 

 tinually spreads its tail open wide, like a fan, from which pecu- 

 liarity it has been proposed to name it the blue-throated 



