REDSTART'S CURIOUS NESTING SITE 23 



ground. But let us move on, because the hen and 

 her partner are in a state of extreme excitement, 

 the latter hardly knowing how to contain himself 

 or whistle sharp enough. As we retire the hen 

 remains behind quietly hopping about near the 

 nest, but her mate shows us the way out of their 

 domain, flying from tree to tree and calling us to 

 follow, his scolding tone becoming less harsh the 

 farther we get away. 



Some very curious places are sometimes chosen 

 as nesting sites by Redstarts ; and the photograph 

 shows one of these, the nest being built in a worn- 

 out kettle, found near a farmhouse in the heart of 

 the New Forest. 



The Redstart usually arrives in the London 

 suburbs about the second week in April, keeping 

 to the open fields for a day or two, then retiring to 

 the woods and gardens to breed. 



