THE SINGING BIRDS. I95 



The nest, which is carelessly constructed of fibres, stalks, and grass, and thickly lined with hair 

 and feathers, is built upon rocks, in holes of walls, under eaves of houses, or in similar situations. 

 Hollow trees are occasionally, but very rarely, employed for this purpose. The eggs have a delicate, 

 glossy, pure white shell, and are usually from five to seven in number. Both parents labour equally 

 in feeding and tending the little family, but upon the female devolves almost the entire work of 

 brooding, the male only relieving her for about two hours at noon. As many as three broods are 

 sometimes produced in the course of a season. 



THE GARDEN REDSTART. 



The Garden Redstart (Ruticilla phxnicura or Phcenicura ruticilla), a common English species, 

 is a very beautiful bird. The sides of its beak, forehead, and throat, are black ; the rest of the upper 

 part of the body dark grey. The breast, sides, and tail, are bright rust-red ; the part of the head 

 immediately above the brow and the centre of the under side are white. The plumage of the female 

 is dark grey above, and of a lighter shade beneath ; her throat is occasionally of a deeper hue. The 

 young are grey, spotted with reddish yellow, on the back ; and the feathers on the under side have 

 rust-red borders ; the eyes of all are brown, and the beak and feet black. This bird is five inches 

 and a half long, and three broad ; the wing measures three, and the tail two inches and a quarter. 



The Garden Redstart is an inhabitant of Europe and Asia, from whence it migrates to pass the 

 winter months in the eastern provinces of India or the interior of Africa. In its habits and mode of 

 life it very closely resembles the species last described, with this exception, that it usually perches 

 upon trees. Its sweet song is composed of two or three gentle flute-like cadences. The nest is 

 roughly constructed of dry fibres and grass, and thickly lined with feathers ; it is usually situated in a 

 hollow tree, or hole in a wall or rock, such cavities being preferred as have a very narrow entrance. 

 The eggs, from five to eight in number, have a smooth blueish green shell (see Fig. 16, Coloured 

 Plate XVI.), and are laid at the latter end of April. A second brood is produced in June, and, strangely 

 enough, is deposited, not in the nest employed for the first family, but in another, specially prepared 

 for its reception. The pair, however, often return to their first breeding-place the following summer. 



The MEADOW WARBLERS (Pratincola) are a group of small, stoutly-built birds, with 

 variegated plumage ; short, thick, rounded beaks ; wings of moderate size ; in which the third and 

 fourth quills exceed the rest in length ; short tails, composed of slender feathers ; and long, thin legs. 

 The members of this group inhabit the eastern hemisphere, and frequent localities overgrown with 

 shrubs or underwood. 



THE BROWN-THROATED MEADOW WARBLER. 

 The Brown-throated Meadow Warbler (Pratincola rubetrd) presents a very variegated 

 appearance, owing to the broad reddish grey border fringing the blackish brown feathers, with which 

 the upper part of its body is covered. The under side is light yellowish white ; the chin, a strer.k 

 over the eyes, and the centre of the wings are pure white. All the colours in the plumage of the 

 female are indistinct ; a stripe over the eyes is of a yellowish shade, and the light-coloured spot on the 

 wings very faintly indicated. In the young birds the upper part of the body is a mixture of rust-red 

 and greyish black, striped longitudinally with reddish yellow. The pale red feathers on the under side 

 are diversified with reddish yellow spots, and tipped with greyish black. The eyes of all are deep 

 brown, the beak and feet black. The body is five inches and a half long, and eight broad ; the wing 

 measures two inches and a half, and the tail two inches. The habits of this bird so closely resemble 

 those of the following species that one description will serve for both. 



