Ft E D S T A R T. 
141 
the tips ; belly and vent white, slightly streaked with pale orange; legs 
black ; bill of the true Muscicapa 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 is 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, differing 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 colors ; 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. 
MUSCICAPA RUTICILLA. 
REDSTART. 
[Plate XLV. Fig. 2, Young Bird.] 
The male of this species may be seen in his perfect dress, in Plate VI. ; 
the present figure represents the young bird as he appears for the first 
two seasons ; the female differs very little from this, chiefly in the green 
olive ; being more inclined to ash. 
This is one of our summer birds, and from the circumstance of being 
found oft' Hispaniola in November, is supposed to winter in the islands. 
They leave Pennsylvania about the twentieth of September ; are dex- 
terous flycatchers, though ranked by European naturalists among the 
warblers, having the bill notched and beset with long bristles. 
In its present dress the Redstart makes its appearance in Pennsylva- 
nia about the middle or twentieth of April ; and from being heard 
chanting its few sprightly notes has been supposed by some of our own 
naturalists to be a different species. I have, however, found both 
parents of the same nest in the same dress nearly ; the female, eggs and 
nest, as well as the notes of the male, agreeing exactly with those of 
the Redstart ; evidence sufficiently satisfactory to me. 
Head above dull slate ; throat pale buff'; sides of the breast and four 
