152 Twelve Months With 



departs as soon as his little family have learned the 

 art of flying, usually the latter part of July. Many 

 of them nesting to the north of us, however, may be 

 seen in the woods during their migration as late as 

 the first of October. 



This brilliantly colored little inhabitant of the 

 woodlands is well named the "redstart" for he is 

 one of the most animated and active of all the 

 warblers. As he flits about among the leaves at the 

 edge of the woods, or in small patches of brush, 

 he seems to stop merely that he may start again, — 

 a salmon flash among the green. In Cuba the 

 redstart's bright plumage has won for him the 

 name "Candelita," — the little candle that flutters 

 in the depths of the tropical forest. The entire 

 upper parts, and the throat and breast of the male 

 are shining black, the wings and tail are margined 

 with salmon, and the sides of the breast and flanks 

 are deep reddish salmon. Even in juvenal plum- 

 age the redstart is easily identified, for although 

 the salmon is then frequently replaced by yellow or 

 creamy white, the little bird has a very character- 

 istic habit of almost constantly fluffing and half 

 spreading his wings and tail, making his colors 

 very conspicuous. Dr. Chapman gives him a very 

 comprehensive description in a few words : 



"Ching, Ching, Chee; ser-ivee, sivee, suee-e-e he 

 sings, and with wings and tail outspread whirls 

 about, dancing from limb to limb, darting upward, 

 floating downward, blown hither and thither like a 

 leaf in the breeze. But the gnats dancing in the 



