172 



CITIZEN BIRD 



ward at tlie same time that makes liim a veiy confus- 

 ing bird to watch. In flitting among the branches, 

 or darting into the air for gnats, his colors make him 



look like a tiny Oriole." 



" Oh, uncle I Uncle 



Roy I " cried Dodo, 



who had been 



looking along the 



path, '' there are 



two of the dearest 



little birds down 



there, and one 



of them is red 



and black as 3'ou 



say the Redstart is, 



the other is shaped 



but has brown and 



.'s, and they move 



the wind was blow- 



Before Dodo stopped speaking 



the whole party were looking 



where she pointed, Olive using 



the field-glass. 



" Tliose are a pair of Redstarts," she said, " and they 



are picking up ants. I saw a number of little anthills 



there yesterday." 



" A pair ? " queried Nat. " They aren't the same 



color — one has yellow spots where the other is red." 



" I guess the one with the brown and yellow feathers 



must be the female," said Rap ; " you know^ the Doctor 



told us, way back, that when the male bird wore very 



1. Male. 2. Female 



American Redstart. 



