REDSTART. 141 



the tips ; belly and vent -white, slightly streaked with pale orange; legs 

 black ; bill of the true Muscicapa form, triangular at the base, beset 

 with long bristles, and notched near the point ; the female has not the 

 rich aurora band across the wing; her back and crown is cinereous 

 inclining to olive ; the white below is not so pure ; lateral feathers of 

 the tail and sides of the breast greenish yellow ; middle tail feathers 

 dusky brown. The young males of a year old are almost exactly like 

 the female, differing in these particulars, that they have a yellow band 

 across the wings which the female has not, and the back is more tinged 

 with brown ; the lateral tail feathers are also yellow ; middle ones 

 brownish black ; inside of the wings yellow. On the third season they 

 receive their complete colors ; and as males of the second year, in nearly 

 the dress of the female, are often seen in the woods, having the same 

 notes as the full plumaged male, it has given occasion to some people to 

 assert, that the females sing as well as the males ; and others have taken 

 them for another species. The fact, however, is as I have stated it. 

 This bird is too little known by people in general to have any provincial 

 name. 



MUSCICAPA RUTICILLA. 



REDSTART. 



[Plate XLV. Fig. 2, Young Bird.] 



The male of this species may be seen in his perfect dress, in Plate VL ; 

 the present figure represents the young bird as he appears for the first 

 two seasons ; the female differs very little from this, chiefly in the green 

 olive ; being more inclined to ash. 



This is one of our summer birds, and from the circumstance of being 

 found off Hispaniola in November, is supposed to winter in the islands. 

 They leave Pennsylvania about the twentieth of September ; are dex- 

 terous flycatchers, though ranked by European naturalists among the 

 warblers, having the bill notched and beset with long bristles. 



In its present dress the Redstart makes its appearance in Pennsylva- 

 nia about the middle or twentieth of April ; and from being heard 

 chanting its few sprightly notes has been supposed by some of our own 

 naturalists to be a different species. I have, however, found both 

 parents of the same nest in the same dress nearly ; the female, eggs and 

 nest, as well as the notes of the male, agreeing exactly with those of 

 the Redstart ; evidence sufficiently satisfactory to me. 



Head above dull slate ; throat pale buff; sides of the breast and four 



