REDSTART. 239 



The eggs are from four to six in number, sometimes 

 seven ; and in a few instances as many as eight have been 

 found. The egg is of a uniform greenish blue colour, eight 

 lines and a half long, and six lines and a half in breadth. 

 Two broods are sometimes produced in the season. Mr. 

 Jenyns says, the young of the first brood are fledged by the 

 second week in June. 



The Redstart as a species is naturally a shy and timid 

 bird ; but during the time the female is sitting, the male 

 exposes himself constantly, and may almost always be seen 

 in some conspicuous situation, not far from the nest. At 

 this season he sings early and late ; he has been heard sing- 

 ing after ten o'clock at night, and at three in the following 

 morning. 



The Redstart was considered by Pennant and some other 

 authors not to extend its range to the westward beyond 

 Exeter ; but though rather rare in the eastern part of Corn- 

 wall, it is not an uncommon bird in the extreme western part, 

 as I learn from the communications of Mr. Couch and Mr. 

 Rodd. This bird also visits Wales now, and has been ob- 

 tained once in Ireland, near Belfast, by Dr. J. D. Marshall, 

 as I learn from W. Thompson, Esq. 



In a northern direction from London, it is found in Suf- 

 folk, Norfolk, Yorkshire, Northumberland, and various parts 

 of Scotland, even to Sutherlandshire. Still further north, it 

 visits Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Siberia, Russia, and from 

 thence southward it is distributed over the more temperate 

 parts of Europe. It is abundant in Holland, France, Pro- 

 vence, Spain, and Italy. Specimens have been received 

 from Trebizond, and also from Erzerum, about one hundred 

 miles farther to the south-east of Trebizond. M. Temminck 

 includes it among the birds of Japan. 



In the adult male Redstart during summer the beak is 

 black, with a narrow band of black feathers above its base ; 



