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RUTICILLA. REDSTART. 



The small group of birds known by the name of Redstarts is 

 intermediate between the Motacillae, Saxicolae, Sylvise, and 

 Setophagas ; and, according to the principle of minute division 

 which I have adopted, cannot with propriety be referred to any 

 of these genera, although they are perhaps more closely allied 

 to Saxicola. 



Their bill is rather short, slender, a little depressed at the 

 base, compressed towards the end : the upper mandible with 

 its dorsal outline slightly declinate and nearly straight, the 

 ridge very narrow at the base, the nasal membrane being pro- 

 portionally broad, the sides sloping at the base, convex towards 

 the end, the edges sharp, direct and overlapping, the tip slightly 

 declinate, very narrow, and rather acute, with a slight sinus on 

 each side ; the lower mandible straight, the angle of moderate 

 length, rather narrow, and somewhat rounded, the back rather 

 flattened at the base, very narrow towards the end, the sides 

 of the crura nearly flat and sloping outwards, convex towards 

 the end, the edges sharp and inflected, the tip narrowed to a 

 bluntish point ; the gape-line straight. 



The mouth of moderate width : both mandibles concave 

 within, with a median prominent line ; the palate nearly flat, 

 with two longitudinal prominent lines ; the posterior aperture 

 of the nares oblongo-linear, edged behind with small papillse. 

 Tongue of moderate length, sagittate, narrow, at the base pa- 

 pillate, two of the papilla? much larger, concave above, bristly 

 on the edges towards the tip, which is slit. The oesophagus is 

 of moderate width, and nearly uniform in diameter ; the pro- 

 ventriculus oblong, with short oblong glandules ; the stomach 

 roundish-elliptical, compressed, its lateral muscles rather thick, 

 the cuticular lining longitudinally rugous ; the intestine of mo- 

 derate length and width ; the coeca very small, and oblong. 



Nostrils very small, elliptical, pervious, in the fore part of 



