AMERICAN REDSTART. 



105 



breast in a rounding form, where, as well as on the head and 

 neck, it is glossed with steel blue ; sides of the breast below 

 this, black ; the inside of the wings, and upper half of the 

 wing-quills, are of a fine aurora colour ; but the greater and 

 lesser coverts of the wings, being black, conceal this, and the 

 orange or aurora colour appears only as a broad transverse 

 band across the wings ; from thence to the tip, they are 

 brownish ; the four middle feathers of the tail are black, the 

 other eight of the same aurora colour, and black towards the 

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

 legs, black ; bill, of the true Musciccvpa 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 are 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, dif- 

 fering 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 colours ; 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. 



