THE REDSTART. 289 
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Sometimes, as you wander on, the bird will flit uneasily before you, dis- 
playing the rich chestnut of its tail, which is spread out repeatedly, like a 
fan. A restless little creature, indeed, it is, incessantly flitting about from 
wall to wall or stump to stump, and repeatedly waving its tail like a rapidly 
moving fan. These singular tail motions are a very striking peculiarity 
of this species; and it may be noted that the tail is always moved ver- 
tically, never sideways, although it is usually expanded and closed every 
few beats, giving the bird a very pretty and animated appearance. Upon 
its arrival at its old haunts the male bird is much less shy than at 
any other season of the year. He will sometimes advance quite close to 
you; and for the first week or so of his sojourn here he seems to press 
himself into notice as much as possible—frequenting the tree-tops, gate- 
posts, and all other similarly exposed situations. The Redstart flies 
with a succession of short jerks, not particularly rapid, but extremely 
irregular. Sometimes, however, in the pairing-season, two male birds 
will chase each other, and dart like rays of coloured light through the 
branchy mazes of the woods, all the time uttering a shrill and peculiar 
guttural note. The Redstart is rarely seen upon the ground: its food is 
obtained for the most part on walls, rocks, and trees, and in the air; and 
hence it has no cause to visit the earth. 
The Redstart is almost entirely insectivorous—flies, gnats, small butter- 
flies, and various kinds of beetles, caterpillars, and larve are its favourite 
food. It is an adept at catching insects on the wing, like a true Flycatcher, 
the bird being seen to launch suddenly into the air and often to take 
several passing insects ere seeking its perch again, all the time performing 
a rapid fluttering motion of the wings, and displaying its rich contrast of 
plumage to perfection. You may see it high up the decaying branches 
of some lofty forest giant, or lower down on a pollard stump or mouldering 
log, seeking for the various forms of insect life which those places conceal ; 
or you may notice it fluttering before old walls or rocks, or searching 
the nooks and crannies of the ivied ruins. The bird will sit without 
movement, except the regular and graceful fanning of the tail. Nowa 
cloud of gnats appear; they are visited and captures made. Now it is a 
little butterfly flitting lazily along: this capture isa more difficult one; for 
the insect seems to know its danger and tries to escape its captor, thus 
causing the bird to prolong its aerial motions for some considerable dis- 
tance until its quarry is secured. Now the bird is seen to flutter along 
over the tall grass, seizing the various insects from the grass-stems. 
It will sometimes take a long sallying flight over the clear still waters of 
the pool, to regale itself upon the flies which congregate in such dense 
numbers there. In the late summer, when the smaller garden fruits 
are ripe, the Redstart, like all its congeners, adopts a partly vegetable 
diet, and is also known to haunt the fields of growing corn, just before 
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