266 



British Cage Birds. 



daily wants, and make a pet of it. But, in order to obtain 

 so desirable a result, it is necessary to procure a young bird, 

 as some of the old ones, when first captured, prove sullen, 

 ill-natured, and almost vicious, and many of them stedfastly 

 refuse to partake of food of any kind for days together, and, 

 in some instances, die of starvation. 



A fully-grown specimen measures 5^in. long, the tail being 

 2:^in. ; the beak is straight and pointed, and black in colour, 

 with a margin of yellow at the sides, or lips ; the iris is 

 deep purplish black. Across the upper mandible is a narrow 

 band of black, which is broader in old birds than in young 

 ones ; from this line, beginning at the base of the upper 

 mandible, surrounding the eyes, cheeks, chin, and throat, 

 and fringing the upper part of the breast, is a deep black 

 patch or frontal, circular — or, perhaps, more elliptic — in form, 

 the feathers on the throat being tinged or mottled with 

 greyish white. The forehead, from the black line, or band, 

 which surrounds the upper mandible, to beyond the eye, is 

 white ; the back part of the head and neck, as well as the 

 back and small wing coverts, are bluish leaden grey, shaded 

 with red ; the rump and tail are dusky red ; the two middle 

 feathers of the tail are brown ; the breast and sides are 

 dull brownish red ; the belly and vent are clouded orange or 

 reddish yellow, shaded on the belly and sides with grey. 

 The pen feathers of the wings, and the larger wing 

 coverts, are dark brown, with yellowish brown borders. The 

 shanks are brown, and the feet black. 



This is the summer garb. In winter the colours vary, 

 and are not so vivid ; the white on the poll disappears after 

 moulting, but is reproduced in the spring. 



There is another variety of this bird, known as the Black 

 Redstart, or Black-breasted Redstart, but it is very rarely 

 seen in this country, being only an occasional visitant. 



Habits and Breeding. — The Redstart, although pretty 

 generally known throughout Great Britain, is much localised 

 in its haunts, and is more common — though by no means 

 abundant — in the South of England than elsewhere. It 

 inhabits the greater part of Europe and .A.sia, and is migra- 

 tory in its habits. It generally reaches our shores about 

 the last week in March, or the first in April, according to 

 the season, and leaves again at the latter end of September 



