THE PERCHING BIRDS. 61 



Redstart, that comes early in spring and stays until 

 frost, and is everywhere abundant. Although a bird 

 of the trees, it is not necessarily a shy bird and seen 

 only away from dwellings. I have often seen scores 

 of them in the village street. The following from 

 Wilson will enable one to recognize this black and 

 red-orange bird : 



" This species has the constant habit of flirting its expanded tail 

 from side to side as it runs along the branches, with its head levelled 

 almost in a line with its body ; occasionally shooting off after winged 

 insects, in a downward zigzag direction, and with admirable dexterity, 

 snapping its bill as it descends. Its notes are few and feeble, re- 

 peated at short intervals as it darts among the foliage ; having at 

 some times a resemblance to the sounds sic-sic-saic, at others of 

 weesy-weesy-weesy ; which last seems to be its call for the female, 

 while the former appears to be its most common note." 



All the nests of redstarts that I have found have 

 been built in bushes overhanging the water. They 

 are elaborate structures, and not concealed in any 

 way ; and to overcome this objection, the location 

 mentioned may have been selected. This expe- 

 rience of mine in nest-hunting does not agree with 

 Nuttall's description of the chosen spots, but he may 

 have made his observations in a far-distant region. 

 Certainly, to-day, the redstart has no objection even 

 to village streets if there are trees in abundance, and 

 I have frequently seen them in the open " squares" of 

 Philadelphia. 



The song is a pleasing tsee-lsee-tseet, with some 

 variations, and appears to be uttered at the rate of 

 twelve times a minute. At least this was accom- 

 plished by one individual that I watched for seven 



