278 



hypochondriis sordide et pallide rufescentibus : abdomine albido : subcaudalibus albidis vix rufescente 

 tinctis. 



Pullus pileo brunneo, vix ochraceo notato : dorso, scapularibus tectricibusque alarum brunneseenti-ochraceis 

 profuse nigricante brunneo fasciatis : uropygio vix ferrugineo lavato : supracaudalibus caudaque ferru- 

 gineis, illis nigricante fasciatis : rectricibus duabus centralibus nigricanti-brunneis ferrugineo apicatis : 

 corpore subtus flavicanti-ochraceo, ubique nigricante brunneo notato et fasciato. 



Adult Male (Hampstead, Middlesex, 14th April). Forehead, except a narrow black frontal line, white, this 

 colour extending backward over the eye ; crown, nape, back, scapulars, and lesser wing-coverts dark 

 bluish ash, slightly washed with reddish brown; rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail, excepting the two 

 central rectrices, bright rusty red, with an orange tinge ; the two central rectrices dull brown, edged 

 with fox-red ; wings dull brown, on the outer web narrowly margined with light brown and dirty white ; 

 lores, sides of the face, including the space before and above the eye, throat, and sides of the neck jet- 

 black ; breast, under wing-coverts, axillaries, and upper part of the flanks rich orange-red, this colour 

 becoming paler on the lower part of the flanks ; remainder of the underparts white, on the under tail- 

 coverts washed with pale orange ; bill and feet blackish ; iris dark brown. Total length about 5 - 5 inches, 

 eulmen 06, wing 3*1, tail 2-5, tarsus 0-9. 



Adult Female (Hampstead, 10th April). Crown, nape, back, and scapulars brownish grey; rump, upper 

 tail-coverts, and tail (excepting the two central feathers, which are reddish brown) orange-red, duller 

 in tinge than in the plumage of the male ; wings as in the male, but duller and browner in tinge ; throat 

 greyish white, slightly washed with rufous ; chin paler than the rest of the throat, rest of the underparts 

 dull white, on the breast, flanks, and under tail-coverts strongly tinged with orange-red; under wing- 

 coverts pale orange-red. Total length about 525 inches, eulmen 0-6, wing 29, tail 2 - 45, tarsus 085. 



Male in winter (Ortakcuy, Turkey, 25th September). Upper parts brownish, with but faint traces of the 

 grey summer plumage, the white on the forehead hidden by brown tips to the feathers ; underparts as 

 iu the female, but breast and flanks washed with orange, and on raising the feathers of the throat it 

 can be seen that they are black, the tips only being brownish grey. 



Nestling (Mezen, Russia, 13th July). Upper parts dull ochre-yellow, each feather broadly barred with 

 blackish brown ; crown almost entirely blackish brown, the yellowish colour showing but little ; tail 

 and upper tail-coverts fox-red, the latter lighter in colour, and narrowly barred with blackish ; wings 

 as in the adult, but with the secondaries much more broadly margined with rufous ; underparts sandy 

 yellow, washed with reddish on the lower part of the abdomen and under tail-coverts, and closely 

 marked with blackish brown. 



The present species is common in Europe during the summer, but migrates southward at the 

 approach of winter. It is generally distributed throughout the Continent, and breeds nearly as 

 far north as the North Cape. In England it is common, except to the westward of Exeter, 

 where, according to Professor Newton, it is rare. Mr. Brooking Rowe, in his list of the birds of 

 Devon, states that it is " scarce in the south, common in the middle and north of the county ;" 

 and Mr. Cecil Smith informs me that in Somersetshire the " Firetail," as it is there called, " is a 

 very common and regular summer visitant. It sometimes appears quite amongst the first arrivals. 

 I saw one last year on the 25th of March ; but I think this is exceptionally early, as I have not 

 usually seen the Redstart before the first week in April. One year a pair of Redstarts remained 



