31 



In the many years that I have been an observer, I have never 

 heard this warbler in the daytime, after eight, a.m. They continue 

 their song till about the middle of August ; and as I never hear 

 them after that time, I presume they leave us early in September. 

 As may be supposed, the nest of this bird is one of the most 

 difficult to find of any we have breeding in this country. It is a 

 red letter day when the naturalist find this bird's abode, and its 

 eggs are always considered a valuable addition to the cabinet of 

 the oologist. How many ornithologists have ever seen this bird's 

 nest ? The Rev. C. A. Johns, in his " British Birds in their 

 Haunts," says, "its nest I have looked for in vain." Now I am 

 happy to say that I have found several in my time, and a pretty 

 sight it is to see the nest in situ. You can never flush this bird 

 off its nest, as it quietly slips off and scuttles through the herbage, 

 just like a mouse. I remember on one occasion, one slipped off 

 its nest from between my feet, and even after that I had the utmost 

 difficulty in finding it, so dense was the undergrowth. The nest is 

 almost always concealed in the most secluded and thickest part of 

 the cover, although there are some exceptions to this rule. All 

 that I have seen were composed of dry grass well interwoven, and 

 were lined with finer grasses in the inside. In shape the nest is 

 like a deep cup. The number of eggs is generally five ; although 

 I have found them with six. They are very beautiful, of a pinkish- 

 grey, and are mottled all over with minute spots of a darker colour ; 

 sometimes the colour forms a dark zone, with a dark hair-streak 

 round the larger end. They also vary much in size, as I have seen 

 clutches twice the size of others. I have found the nest of this 

 bird on the following dates: May 14th, 17th, 19th, 30th; June 

 6th, 1 6th, 19th, 2 1 St, 23rd; and also on the 6th of August. 



The Redstart. 



In some of your country rambles, you may perhaps have observed 



a bird flitting uneasily before you out of the hedgerow, or the stone 



dyke, and displaying his reddish-orange tail, a bird which is locally 



known here as the Redtail, or Redstart* (Phcenicura ruticilld). 



[ * Start is an Old English Name for tail. Ed.] 



