34 BLACK REDSTART. 



more or less sedentary in Southern Europe, and even in the 

 mountains of North Africa, where it breeds at a considerable 

 elevation. Eastward its range appears to extend to the Southern 

 Ural, Asia Minor, and Palestine ; in winter, to Nubia. 



Breeding begins early in May ; the nest, composed of dried grass, 

 moss, and fine roots, with a lining of hair and feathers, being placed, 

 with little attempt at concealment, in sheds, holes of walls, chalets, 

 or clefts of rocks, up to 7,500 feet. The 5-6 eggs are of a pure 

 shining white, sometimes with a very faint tinge of blue, and 

 occasionally speckled with brown : measurements 75 by "58 in. 

 Two broods are usually produced in the season. The call-note is a 

 soft sit or fitz, and the male has a rather rich song, which he 

 commences very early in the morning. In Belgium he begins to 

 sing again in October. From his familiar habits the Black Red- 

 start is one of the most conspicuous species on the Continent, as, 

 jerking his tail, he flits along the sides of ravines in the country or 

 the roofs of houses in cities ; even in London one frequented the 

 grounds of the Natural History Museum, South Kensington, from 

 November, 1885, until the snow-fall of January 6th, 1886. Refuse, 

 manure-heaps and sea-tangle seem to have great attractions for 

 this bird. Its food consists principally of insects, caterpillars, and, 

 on our sea-coasts, of small crustaceans. 



Adult male : frontal band and lores black ; crown, nape and back 

 dark slate-grey ; wings brownish, with a conspicuous white patch 

 formed by the broad white margins to the secondaries ; rump and 

 tail, except the two brown central-feathers, bright bay ; chin, throat, 

 cheeks and breast black, passing into grey on the belly; vent buff; 

 bill, legs and feet black. In younger males the wing-patch is less 

 pronounced. After the autumn moult the black feathers of the 

 under parts have grey margins, which so soon wear off that in Spain 

 I have seen old males in splendid black plumage by the end of 

 November. Length 575 in. ; wing, to the tip of the fourth and 

 longest primary, 3-4 in. Female: greyer on both upper and lower 

 parts than the female Common Redstart, and her axillaries and 

 under wing-coverts grey instead of buff The young resemble the 

 female. Young males often breed in their immature grey plumage ; 

 and owing to this, a supposed distinct psecies, since withdrawn, was 

 described by Gerbe under the name of R. cairii. The full black 

 plumage is not attained by the male until the second autumnal 

 moult, and even then the intensity of the dark colour is considerably 

 modified by the long grey margins of the feathers. 



