Tb,e Singing of Birds. E. P. Bioknell. 
Setophaga ruticilla. American Redstart. 
In some years I have found this species songless soon after the 
beginning of July. In seasons when it thus early becomes silent 
singing is resumed in the first part of August, and continues for 
two or three weeks. But the period of July silence is inconstant, 
and sometimes singing is little interrupted through the month. 
When this is the case singing seems to cease finally at the end of 
the month or early in August, and is followed by no supplemen- 
tary song-period. It is not probable that these indications of my 
records have resulted from incomplete observations ; for records 
of the time of singing and silence of other birds go to show that the 
singing of a species in what is normally its central time of silence 
is at the expense of later song ; and that the supplementary song- 
period is sometimes thus wholly sacrificed. My dates of last 
songs are limited by the third week of August, except in one 
exceptional instance when one of the birds was heard to sing on 
September 5. In the summer a song is commonly heard from 
the Redstart which is weaker and otherwise different from the 
normal, and which is probably' produced by immature males. 
Auk, I, July, 1884. p. X / f 
