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the woodland species to be observed by those who are begin- 

 ning to study birds. It not only occurs on the margins of 

 woodlands but also in small groves, and occasionally among 

 the largest of the ornamental trees that grow along streets. 

 The Redstart is not a shy bird, and as it seldom wanders far 

 from its chosen haunts, especially during the breeding season, 

 is one of the best of our warblers to study. Summsr or win- 

 ter it does not chanore its habits, and wherever I have found it 

 from the wind-swept Magdalins to the summer isles of the 

 Caribbean, it has been the same busy little woodland sprite 

 that I first learned to know in the early days of childhood. 



Breeding Habits. The Redstart begins to build its 

 nest the last week in May. The site selected varies some- 

 what, and although a forking branch is usually chosen, this 

 may be so low that one can look into the nest while standing 

 on the ground or it may be twenty or thirty feet high. I have 

 found the nests in swampy thickets, on the branches of pines 

 in lieavv woodlands, and have seen one on the limb of a tree 

 that overhung a village street. The eggs are deposited the 

 first week in June, and early in July the hissing voices of the 

 young may be heard as they follow their parents through the 

 woodlands and supplicate for food. 



Song. As if correlated with its active habits the Red- 

 start utters a very energetic song. It is not only given with 

 energy, but is one of the highest and sharpest of warbler 

 songs. It consists of from five to seven rapidly ejected notes 

 all similar, thus the lay begins and ends abruptly. Of course 

 there is a little variation among individuals, and the young 

 have a shorter and rather less sharply given song. The Red- 

 start announces his arrival in the spring with his song and 

 continues to sing until late in June, but is silent by the first of 

 [uly and we hear his song no more until the following spring. 

 Some of my pupils have said that the Redstart sings like a 

 Yellow Warbler. A little study of the two songs will show 



