The Black Redstart. 47 



'dyke' (wall), by the side of a road on a high hill, called ' Crossford.' The 

 young were hatched. She tells me that she often went to watch the birds, both 

 with a field glass and without one ; that they let her get very near, that she is 

 certain of their identity, and that they were Black, and not Common, Redstarts." 



The food of this species consists of insects and their larvse, spiders, small 

 Crustacea, and occasionally of small garden fruits : winged insects it captures in 

 the air, after the manner of the commoner species, beetles, larvce and spiders it 

 seeks for on the earth, especially on ground which has been newly turned up. 



In captivity the usual soft food, with the addition of cockroaches, spiders, 

 mealworms, or wireworms, will suffice ; but most small insects will be acceptable. 



The song of this bird is simple, but the few notes are full and rich : it is 

 therefore not surprising, seeing how handsomely it is coloured, that it should 

 sometimes be kept in cage and aviary. 



Not infrequently exhibited at the bird-show of the " Ornis " Society in 

 Berlin, and at the Crystal Palace Show. 



I can say nothing experimentally of this species : doubtless it would be easy 

 to keep, and would make an engaging pet : but it ought to be turned loose in an 

 aviary. Small insectivorous birds, when permanently kept in cages, rarely sing 

 and usually die of apoplexy; at least that is my experience, excepting in the case 

 of the Skylark, Woodlark, Nightingale, and sometimes the Robin : the last 

 mentioned generally singing more or less, even when caged, but rarely living 

 long in close captivity. 



So long as any part of your domain is infested with cockroaches, you need 

 never question the practicability of keeping Redstarts alive, no matter whether 

 your aviary be warmed or unheated ; if you can give them their daily beetle trap 

 to forage in. Redstarts will live; but, if possible, extreme frosts should be avoided. 



IM 



