74 
SYLVIAD.E. 
fourth quills the longest; tail even ; the feathers obtuse, and 
generally rufous.'” (Jenyns.) 
The Redstart measures five inches and three quarters in 
length, and nine and a half in expanse. The beak is four 
lines and a half from the forehead to the tip ; the legs are 
slender; the tarsus, Avhich measures about an inch, is covered 
with a single plate, or scale; the toes are armed with very 
sharp claws. 
In the adult male, in spring, the forehead, orbits, ear- 
coverts, throat, and breast, are fine black, and a small patch 
of pure white occupies the fore part of the crowm of the head. 
The rest of the head, back, and scapulars are fine blue grey; 
the Avings and wing-coverts are hair brown, Avith paler margins 
to the feathers. The two middle feathers of the tail are, in 
some specimens, broAvn, in others rufous, tinged with broAvn 
along the shaft; the tail-coverts and outer feathers of the 
tail are rusty red; the breast is bright rust red, lighter to¬ 
wards the belly, which is white ; the under wing-coverts are 
beautiful rust red. The legs are reddish black ; the iris 
broAvn ; the beak black at the tip and yellow at the corners of 
the gape. 
In the adult male in autumn the upper plumage has 
brownish-grey borders ; and the feathers on the under parts, 
including the throat, breast, and cheeks, are so broadly edged 
Avith pale broA\m fringes that the primitive colours are almost 
hidden by them. 
The female has the entire upper plumage greyish-brown, 
the under plumage reddish-white ; the back and tail as in 
the male; the chin and throat are Avhite, the breast shaded 
Avith brown. 
The young birds, before their moult, have the upper 
plumage olive-brown, clouded with black, and spotted Avith 
rust-yelloAv ; the throat yellowish-Avhite, spotted Avith black¬ 
ish grey; the tail and Avings are darker than in the adult, 
