THE REDSTART. 289 



Sometimes, as you \vander on, the bird will flit uneasily before you, dis- 

 playing the rich chestnut of its tail, which is spread out repeatedly, like a 

 fan. A restless little creature, indeed, it is, incessantly flitting about from 

 wall to wall or stump to stump, and repeatedly waving its tail like a rapidly 

 moving fan. These singular tail motions are a very striking peculiarity 

 of this species ; and it may be noted that the tail is always moved Ver- 

 tically, never sideways, although it is usually expanded and closed every 

 few beats, giving the bird a very pretty and animated appearance. Upon 

 its arrival at its old haunts the male bird is much less shy than at 

 any other season of the year. He will sometimes advance quite close to 

 you ; and for the first week or so of his sojourn here he seems to press 

 himself into notice as much as possible frequenting the tree-tops, gate- 

 posts, and all other similarly exposed situations. The Redstart flies 

 with a succession of short jerks, not particularly rapid, but extremely 

 irregular. Sometimes, however, in the pairing-season, two male birds 

 will chase each other, and dart like rays of coloured light through the 

 branchy mazes of the woods, all the time uttering a shrill and peculiar 

 guttural note. The Redstart is rarely seen upon the ground : its food is 

 obtained for the most part on walls, rocks, and trees, and in the air ; and 

 hence it has no cause to visit the earth. 



The Redstart is almost entirely insectivorous flies, gnats, small butter- 

 flies, and various kinds of beetles, caterpillars, and larva? are its favourite 

 food. It is an adept at catching insects on the wing, like a true Flycatcher, 

 the bird being seen to launch suddenly into the air and often to take 

 several passing insects ere seeking its perch again, all the time performing 

 a rapid fluttering motion of the wings, and displaying its rich contrast of 

 plumage to perfection. \ou may see it high up the decaying branches 

 of some lofty forest giant, or lower down on a pollard stump or mouldering 

 log, seeking for the various forms of insect life which those places conceal ; 

 or you may notice it fluttering before old walls or rocks, or searching 

 the nooks and crannies of the ivied ruins. The bird will sit without 

 movement, except the regular and graceful fanning of the tail. Now a 

 cloud of gnats appear ; they are visited and captures made. Now it is a 

 little butterfly flitting lazily along : this capture is a more difficult one; for 

 the insect seems to know its danger and tries to escape its captor, thus 

 causing the bird to prolong its aerial motions for some considerable dis- 

 tance until its quarry is secured. Now the bird is seen to flutter along 

 over the tall grass, seizing the various insects from the grass-stems. 

 It will sometimes take a long sallying flight over the clear still waters of 

 the pool, to regale itself upon the flies which congregate in such dense 

 numbers the*^. In the late summer, when the smaller garden fruits 

 are ripe, the Redstart, like all its congeners, adopts a partly vegetable 

 diet, and is also known to haunt the fields of growing corn, just before 



VOL. i. u 



