332 SYLVIIDjE. 



black, with a narrow black band above its base ; the forehead 

 white ; the top of the head, the scapulars, back and wing- 

 coverts, lead-grey ; wing-quills brown, with the outer edges 

 rather lighter ; rump, upper tail-coverts and tail bright bay, 

 the two middle tail-feathers darker brown ; the chin, throat 

 and sides of the neck and face, jet black ; breast and axil- 

 laries bright bay, belly and lower wing-coverts paler, the 

 former being mixed with yellowish-white, which prevails on 

 the vent ; tail beneath, including the shafts of the feathers, 

 rufous ; wing-quills beneath shining grey : irides brown : 

 legs, toes and claws dark brown. 



The whole length of the bird five inches and a quarter. 

 From the carpal joint to the end of the longest wing-feather, 

 three inches : the second primary equal to the sixth ; the 

 third the longest. 



The female wants the white and black on the head ; the 

 body greyish-brown above ; the bay colour of the tail rather 

 less bright than in the males ; the body and tail beneath pale 

 reddish-brown. Very old females are said to obtain a 

 plumage somewhat similar to that of the males, but the 

 colours are neither so pure nor so bright. 



The young in their nestling plumage a good deal resemble 

 those of the Redbreast, except on the rump and tail, which 

 are of a dull rufous, being dusky brown above, with a pale 

 spot upon each feather : wing-coverts broadly edged with pale 

 brown ; breast mottled with yellowish and dusky brown. 



Young males of the year after their autumn moult, and 

 adult males in winter have the black and bay parts of the 

 throat and breast varied with white lines ; no white on the 

 forehead of the young males ; and the body above is pale 

 reddish-brown, tinged with grey. 



From the Anglo-Saxon steort, a tail, or (as shewn by the 

 well-known Start in Devonshire) a point of land, we have the 

 second syllable of this bird's name, which means simply 

 " red tail." Therefore those writers who call the species 

 next to be described the " Blackstart " are guilty of a palpa- 

 ble misnomer, since a less suitable name for it could hardly 

 be chosen. 



