PAINTED REDSTART 295 



cases of some insect, and with a fine, green, thread-like moss. The 

 same writer once found a Redstart using a Red-eyed Vireo's nest. 



Eggs. 3 to 5, usually 4. Ground color varies from white to 

 creamy, grayish or greenish white ; the markings consist of fine specks, 

 spots and blotches in various shades of cinnamon-brown, lilac-gray 

 and reddish, with very few under shell markings of lavender. The 

 distribution of the markings is subject to considerable variation; some 

 types are beautifully wreathed around the large end, with scattering 

 spots over rest of egg, others are quite heavily blotched over most of 

 the great end, and again the egg is evenly sprinkled all over. Size; 

 average, .63x48; extremes, .56x48, .58x46, .70x48, .6o,x.5i. (Figs. 

 122-124.) 



Nesting Dates. Raleigh, N. C, May 12 (C. W. C.) ; Waynes- 

 burg, Pa., May 19- June 6 (Jacobs) ; New York City, May ly-June 24 

 (F. M. C.}', New Haven, Conn., May 20- June 27 (Bishop) ; Cam- 

 bridge, Mass., full sets, first laying, June 2-8 (Brewster) ; Lancaster, 

 N. H., May 30 June 13 (Spanlding) ; Bangor, Me., June 2-June 30 

 (Knight) ; Listowel, Ont, June 6- June 18 (Kelts) ; Oberlin, O., May 

 lo-june 20 (Jones) ; River Forest, Cook Co., Ills., June I (Gault) ; 

 Petersburg, Mich., May 29 (C. W. C.). 



BIOGRAPHICAL REFERENCES 



(i) ERNEST H. SHORT, A Study in Orange and Black, (Redstart in W. 

 N. Y.), Oologist, X, 1893, 185. (2) W. L. KELLS, Nesting of Some Canadian 

 Warblers, Ottawa Naturalist, XV, 1002, 227. (3) J. C. WOOD, Some Notes on 

 the Life History of the American Redstart, Bull. Mich. Orn. Club, V, 1004, 33. 



PAINTED REDSTART 



SETOPHAGA PICTA PICTA Swains. Plate XXIII 



Distinguishing Characters. This bird not only differs in color from any 

 known Warbler but the sexes are alike in plumage and the young assumes 

 mature dress the first autumn ; all facts which tend to simplify the identifica- 

 tion of the species at any season. Length (skin), 4.75; wing, 2.75; tail, 2.50; 

 bill, .35- 



Adult <$, Spring. Above shining black, tail black the three outer feathers 

 terminally white diminishing in amount from without inward; wings black, 

 outer primary and secondaries edged with white, middle and greater coverts 

 largely white forming a large white patch; throat and sides black, breast and 

 belly scarlet, ventral region white, under tail-coverts black tipped with white. 



Adult <$, Fall. Similar to adult <f in Spring. 



Young $, Fall. Similar to adult d 1 in Fall. 



Adult and young $. Similar to <?. 



Nestling. Sooty black, the belly more or less mixed with whitish; wings 

 and tail as in adult. 



