THRUSHES AND THRUSHLIKE BIRDS 



?8i 



lightfr than those of the male, and the tail nut 

 so bright. The adult males in winter, as also 

 the young males of the year after their autumn 

 moult, lack the white forehead, the feathers 

 being edged with brown ; the chin, throat, and 

 breast are variegated with whitish-grey ; the 

 upper part of the l)ody pale reddish-brown 

 tinged with grey. The pale margins, which 

 cover much of the richer colour, disappearing 

 in tile S])ring. when the full beauty of the summer 

 plunuige is visible. Birds in captivity, if kept 

 in nice, cosy quarters, not infrequently display 

 their summer plumage through the greater 

 part of the winter. 



This clean, handsomely coloured bird fre- 

 quents the outskirts of woods and plantations 

 (particularly those of considerable age), old 

 gardens, orchards, parks, and grazing land 

 where there are sheds for cattle and boundary 

 walls in rather a state of neglect, and where 

 the trees have been allowed to decay. In the 

 holes of these and chinks of the old walls and 

 sheds will its nest be found, but always with its 

 pretty blue eggs well concealed. It is rare 

 that we have visited such spots without find- 

 ing a nest and seeing a pair of these birds. By 

 their quick, yet silent motion, they give rise to 

 an impression of solitariness ; and during the 

 period of incubation the cock generally perches 

 on some old stump or branch, shaking its tail 

 with a peculiar trembling motion, and, when 

 disturjjed, flits downwards, keeping low along 

 the cover or hedge to another favourite perching 

 place, then as quickly back to the old one. 

 It sometimes chooses the most sequestered 

 spots for nesting, and at other times even build- 

 ing in a hole in the wall of an old inhabited 

 house. The Redstart has a very pretty song, 

 although composed of but few notes. It be- 

 comes very tame in captivity, although when 

 free a very timid bird. \Mien alighting on a 

 perching place the tail is given a peculiar short, 

 sharp vibration, not up and down like that of 

 the Wheatear or Whinchat. 



We kept and successfully exhibited this bird 

 twenty-five years ago, and have a particular 

 leaning to hand-reared specimens for exhibi- 

 tion purposes. Where a good classification is 

 given and they have not to compete against 

 rarer birds, a good specimen will usually make 

 its mark. 



Redstarts are easily hand-reared and kept 

 afterwards on the food recommended for the 

 Chats, with the addition of a small green cater- 

 pillar or two. The same stock and show cages 

 answer equally well for the Redstart. In its 

 wild state the bird feeds principally on ants 

 and their larvae, flies, and moths, worms, 

 spiders, caterpillars, and beetles. It will catch 

 flies and moths on the wing as well as when on 



the ground, and a supply of insect food should 

 therefore always form part of their diet ; they 

 are also fond of ripe pear and small, soft fruits. 

 They should be kept during the winter months 

 in a genial temperature. 



As soon as the young birds are fledged and 

 the tail feathers appear, the youngsters hop on 

 to any branch adjoining their nest, and the 

 parent birds feed them there until able to 

 forage for themselves. They are not diflicult 

 to " meat oft' " it captured when able to do for 

 themselves, if given the same care and attention 

 as the Wheatear. 



The exhibition points of a Redstart are : 

 Good size ; the various shades of colour, rich 

 and well defined ; steadiness ; and perfect 

 plumage, feel, and toes. 



The Black PxC(\i>tarl. Ruticilta titys (Xcwlon), 

 is not black, as its name would indicate. Its 

 general colour above is a bluish- 



The 



BlacK 



Redstart, 



grey ; rump and upper tail-coverts 

 orange-chestnut ; head the same 



colour as the back, running a little 

 lighter in shade towards the forehead ; forehead, 

 face, throat, fore-neck, and breast black, 

 the latter with grey margins, giving the 

 black the appearance of being lightly frosted ; 

 sides of the body and flanks bluish-grey ; 

 abdomen light greyish-white ; under tail- 

 coverts cinnamon; wing-coverts blackish, edged 

 with bluish-grey; primary quills blackish-grey; 

 tail orange-chestnut, except the two centre 

 leathers, which are amber-brown. 



The hen differs from the male in that her 

 general colour is slaty-brown, with a slight olive 

 tint on the back ; rump and tail-coverts chest- 

 nut ; tail the same colour, with brown tips. 

 The male Black Redstart is distinguished from 

 the Redstart by its black forehead and breast, 

 but resembles that bird much in size and habits, 

 except that it prefers stony ground or chalk 

 clifls. It also frequents gardens, farmyards, 

 and manure heaps in the fields. It is a rare, 

 but regular visitor to this country, chiefly along 

 the southern coast ; and, unlike the Redstart, 

 arrives in the autumn, spends the winter here, 

 and returns in the spring to its breeding quar- 

 ters in Central and Southern Europe, and is a 

 common bird in Germany and France. 



It is not at all difficult to keep, and may be 

 fed and treated precisely as the Redstart, the 

 same care being taken in " meating off " freshly 

 caught specimens, as explained for the Wheat- 

 ear. 



The exhibition points of a Black Redstart are : 

 Good size ; well-defined colours, brilliant in 

 their respective shades ; perfect plumage, feet, 

 and toes ; combined with steadiness. Good 

 specimens, as a rule, succeed at exhibitions. 



