618 



REDSTART. 



tinged with orange. Adult female. Alin-e, plain greenish brown : the tail is ilnrker and has the basal 

 two-thirds of all except the two central feathers, pale yellow. Beneath, dirty white, witli the sides, under 

 win"- coverts, and under surface of wing tinged with yellow, wiiieh cnl n- is faintly vi-^Hile near the middle of 

 the outer side. Young male of the sej ju I ye:ir has the body, ali ive ami l)el iw. C"! ired a^ in the female, ex- 

 cepting that there are nva-e or less black feathers on those ]iortiiins which arc dark cnlored in the adult. 

 The lores are always l)lack. The wings, tail, and other jwrts which are orange in the nnture specimens, 

 are yellow, but with an occasional irregular tingeing of orange. Young male of the first year exhibits but 

 few or no black feathers, and im nrangc tingeing on the yellow. The young female is similar to the adult, 

 but with the yellow of the tail less extended. Th" nestlings of both sexes resemble the young female with 

 the addition of two vellnwish white bars across the wings, and a geuer.il suft'usion of the same color over the 

 entire surface of the b idy. .Vt this age the hiwer m mdilile an 1 feet are imdined to be liglit Ijr^jwn, liut in all 

 other stages the liill a.nd fci't arc dai'k brown. The irides are always la-own. 



onSERVATlONS. 



I'his species is \-ery much incline 1 tii mclanisni, the black frc»iuently extending down on the breast and 

 obscuring the orange. It !■< also ouite common to hu I traces of albinism. .Vnnther peculiarity maybe seen 

 in the fact that tlie or.m'.'e is aiit to apvicir anywhere, especially on the back. M]-. Uutlnen Deane has a 

 specimen singidurlvm ittled with orange, ^^■hite and black. The col-jrs appear to he in about the usual pro- 

 portions, but are mixed in a jiromiscu ais mannc!'. 



The well marked Re Istart need not be c nifoun le 1 with any other species, as there are lo others which 

 are colored with orange. Distributed during the breeding season throughout Eastern United States north 

 to Labrador. Winters in the Bah;unas ami other of the West Indies, Mexic > and Ceiiti-al America. 



DIMENSIONS. 



Average measurements of twenty-eight specimens. Length, .j.-'o : stretch, 7.7o ; wing. ■_'.">') ; tail, 'J. IS; 

 bill, .oil; tarsus, .ilo. L mgest specimen, o.ii."); greatest exte it of wings, 8. It) : long.st wing, -Ml!): tail, •-'.•"!() : 

 bill, .40; tarsus, .70. Sliortjst specimen, .j.2.j ; sniUest extent of wings, 7., 10 ; shortest wing, L'.;il; tail, 

 _'.()0; bill, .:;U: tarsus, .CO. 



DESCRIFTION OF NESTS AND EGGS. 



NE.ST.S, placed in trees. They are compact structures, composed of the soft. Ill a-ous bark of trees, pine 

 leaves, dead grasses, weeds and fine roots, neatly woven together; lined \\ith hone-hairs, feathers or fine 

 grasses. Dimensions, external diameter, 2S>0 inches, internal, l..-)0 ; external depth, L' inches, internal, 1 .•">( ). 

 Eggs, usually four in number, spotted and blotcheil with redilish-brown and lilac. These spots are not nu- 

 merous on the smaller eml but generally become confluent on the larger and form a ring. Dimensions, fr.mi 

 (i(j by .47 to .70 by .-in. 



HABITS. 

 In Ma.v tlic ilark Ibrcsts of Floiiil i nre enlivcucd iiy the sjn-ightlv Redstarts. Tlicy 

 liart ,-il)oiit among the rif.h Coliaov, imw iu shadow, now in sunljo-lit ; (lis|)lavin;g tliL'ir ln-Jl- 

 liant orange and jetty lihiek i)lnni;ig,' to line advanta.ge in eonttast with the somhi-e colu;- 

 td'the tree trnnks or long, liangiiig moss. Ever aetive, slemhT ami lithe of form, they 

 leaji i|niclslv into air or panst- lin- an inst;nit on a, twig, with withdy exiiainled tail a'ld 

 hail' open wings, while the tlas'iing Idaek eyes are p;.'e;'ing (|niekl\ I'roin I'ight to hd't iu 

 search ol'ti)od; then thev are oil' h'Ke meteors into t'le d.ecidnons mas-es ahoxe; thus t!ie\ 

 are ahv.ivs l)ns\-, chasing hright winged insects all diylong. ]>ntl!r'ir stay is sliort in 

 Florida, and in company with the grcit migratoi-y holy ol' warblers they piss oiiward to 

 the ninth.. 



