HABITS OF THE REDSTART. 8i 



rarely, if ever, come to England. He himself is very often seen, and his habits 

 watched by the naturalist. 



He does not spend the winter in England, but comes about the end of 

 April. He is very lively in his disposition, though he is small ; and is well 

 known by the white patch over his eye, and the manner in which he jerks his 

 tail up and down at all times, either when perched or when on the ground. 

 He catches insects on the wing. The nest is placed in a hole in the wall, 

 or in a hollow tree, or even in the crevice of a rock. It is made of roots 

 and moss, and is well lined with hair and feathers ; and there are six or seven 

 eggs, of a light greenish blue. The young redstart does not attain the 

 beautiful plumage of his parent until he has left England on his autumn tour. 

 The hen birds have no white on the forehead, and wear a more sober costume. 

 When the redstart arrives here in the spring, he makes his appearance in the 

 gardens, or near some old wall. He is not often seen, for he is very shy, and 

 keeps close to his home. When the nest is built, and his partner sitting on the 

 eggs, he will perch on a branch close by, and sing his little song, which is very 

 short, and has not much music in it. He sings almost all the day, from the very 

 early morning ; but the melody is rarely noticed by any one except his partner. 



He does not run or walk, but makes his way by a number of flying leaps. 

 His food is obtained by catching insects on the wing, and sometimes he 

 alights to pick up some worm or grub he has espied. 



A pair of redstarts took up their abode in a hole in the gable end of a 

 cottage, on the public road. A weaver lived in the cottage, and from five in 

 the morning until ten at night those noisy looms were working away. Yet 

 the birds never seemed to be annoyed, and reared their young in safety. This 

 is rather curious, for they are very shy birds. 



When the redstart is caught, and put in a cage, which sometimes 

 happens, he will sing both night and day, and can be made to imitate the 

 notes of other birds. There was one of the family that used to sing the 

 " Copenhagen Waltz." But the birds never live long in a state of captivity. 

 They cannot have the food most suitable for them, such as the eggs of ants and 

 different kinds of insects ; and are subject to fits and many kinds of diseases. 



About the end of September the redstarts go away to a warmer climate. 

 They are very abundant on the shores of the Mediterranean ; and in France 

 they are caught in great numbers, not as cage birds, but to be eaten. Small 

 as the bird is, his flesh is thought to be a luxury. 



F 



