WARBLER. 25 



17.-REDTAIL WARBLER. 



Sylvia Erithacus, Ind. Om. ii. 513. 



— — - gula grisea, Klein, 78. 4. 5. 



Motacilla Erithacus, Lin. i. 335. Faun. suec. No. 258. Gin. Lin. i. 988. 



Phcenicurus torquatus, Bris. iii. 411. Id. 8vo. i. 425. — male. 



Phcenicurus, Bris.'m. 409. Id. 8vo. i. 424. female. 



Rouge-queue a Collier, Buf. v. 180. 



Roth-schwentzel, Gesner, Av. t. p. 663. Rail, 78. A. 5. Var. 2. Will. 160. Id. Engl. 



218. vii. 2. 

 Roth-schwantzlein, Frisch, t. 20. f. b. Naturf. xvii. 104. /</. xxv. 19. 

 Redtail, Gen. Syn. iv. 425. Shaw's Zool. x. 674. 



THIS is a trifle larger than the Redstart. Top of the head, hind 

 part of the neck and back, scapulars, and lesser wing coverts grey ; 

 rump and tail rufous; throat to vent whitish grey, with an irregular 

 mixture of pale rufous ; the under wing and tail coverts of this last 

 colour ; the greater wing coverts and quills grey brown, edged with 

 rufous; tail wholly rufous, the two middle feathers the shortest; the 

 legs black. 



The male differs from the former, or female, chiefly in having a 

 large brown mark on the fore part of the neck, in shape of a horse 

 shoe, the concave part uppermost ; between the bill and eye a small 

 brown spot; the two middle tail feathers brown, the rest rufous. 



These are said to inhabit the Continent of Europe, and are 

 migratory; they arrive in Burgundy and Lorraine in May, and 

 depart in October, frequent in woods ; make the nest in low bushes, 

 near the ground, of moss, lined with wool and feathers; the eggs 

 five or six, white, mixed with grey.* It has scarcely any song, only 

 a single note, like the word Suit, and wags the tail like a Redstart : 

 at the end of summer it is very fat, and well flavoured. This seems 

 to be very similar to the last Species, especially the female, and the 

 male is probably a young bird only of that sex — could we reconcile 



* The weight of the egg is said to be the fourth part of a Caroline.— Naturf. xiv. S. 48. 



VOL. VII. E 



