JOURNAL OF MAINK ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIKTY. 33 



Contributions to the Life History of the American 



Redstart. 



Gemis sctophaga (Swainson). 

 (Taken from the "Birds of Maine" In- permission of theauthor, Ora W. Knight). 

 687. Setophaga ruticilla {l^xww.) . American Redstart, 



Plumage of adult male: Above, shining black, rather slightly 

 browner on wings and tail; basal half of wing feathers and basal 

 portion of all but the inner tail feathers, salmon; throat and breast, 

 black; sides of breast and flank, deep reddish salmon; belly, white, 

 tinged with salmon. Plumage of adult female: Back, ashy; head, 

 grayish; basal portions of wing and tail feathers, dull yellow in 

 female instead of salmon; sides of breast and flanks, yellow; other- 

 wise, white below. Immature plumage: In general very similar to 

 the female, rather browner above, the yellow underparts lighter 

 yellow or merely yellow tinged, and the basal portions of the wing 

 and tail feathers paler yellow; the immature males assume patches 

 of black above and on the throat and breast with their first nuptial 

 plumage, and the second year, as a rule, become indistinguishable 

 from adult males. Wing, 2.50; tail, 2.32. Bill with bristles at base. 



Geographical Distribution. — North America, breeding 

 from North Carolina and Arkansas to I^abrador and Fort Simpson, 

 and in Utah, Idaho, eastern Washington and British Columbia; 

 wintering in the West Indies, eastern Mexico, Yucatan, Guatemala 

 and Ecuador. 



County Records. — Androscoggin, common summer resi- 

 dent (Johnson). Aroostook, common (Batchelder, B. N. O. C. 7, 

 p. no); common in the Woolastook Valley (Knight). Cumber- 

 land, common summer resident (Mead). Franklin, common sum- 

 mer resident (Swain), Hancock, common summer resident 

 (Knight). Kennebec, abundant summer resident (Sanborn). 

 Knox, summer (Rackliff). Oxford, common (Nash). Penobscot, 

 very common summer resident (Knight). Piscataquis, common 

 summer resident (Homer) , Sagadahoc, common summer resident 



