AMERICAN REDSTART. IO j 



to the ground, while the clicking of its bill is distinctly heard ; 

 and I doubt not but it often secures ten or twelve of these 

 in a descent of three or four seconds. It then alights on an 

 adjoining branch, traverses it lengthwise for a few moments, 

 flirting its expanded tail from side to side, and suddenly 

 shoots off, in a direction quite unexpected, after fresh game, 

 which it can discover at a great distance. Its notes, or 

 twitter, though animated and sprightly, are not deserving 

 the name of song ; sometimes they are iveese, iveese, iveese, 

 repeated every quarter of a minute, as it skips among the 

 branches ; at other times this twitter varies to several other 

 chants, which I can instantly distinguish in the woods, but 

 cannot find words to imitate. The interior of the forest, the 

 borders of swamps and meadows, deep glens covered with 

 wood, and wherever flying insects abound, there this little bird 

 is sure to be seen. It makes its appearance in Pennsylvania, 

 from the south, late in April, and leaves us again about the 

 beginning of September. It is very generally found over the 

 whole United States ; and has been taken at sea, in the fall, 

 on its way to St Domingo,* and other of the West India 

 islands, where it winters, along with many more of our sum- 

 mer visitants. It is also found in Jamaica, where it remains 

 all winter, f 



The name redstart, evidently derived from the German 

 rothsterts (red tail), has been given this bird from its sup- 

 posed resemblance to the redstart of Europe (llotacilla 

 phoenicurus) ; but besides being decisively of a different 

 genus, it is very different both in size and in the tints and 

 disposition of the colours of its plumage. Buffon goes even 

 so far as to question whether the differences between the two 

 be more than what might be naturally expected from change 

 of climate. This eternal reference of every animal of the 

 New World to that of the Old, if adopted to the extent 

 of this writer, with all the transmutations it is supposed to 

 have produced, would leave us in doubt whether even the 

 * Edwards. t Sloane. 



