. A history of British birds . e variable : the chin and upper part ofthe throat is greyish-white, generally with an indication ofblue on the sides ; lower down there is commonly a mixtureof blue and of bay feathers, to which succeeds a band of bluemixed with black, and then some feathers tinged with female, however, killed from the nest in Norway, and nowin Mr. Alstons collection, has no appearance whatever ofeither blue or bay on the throat, but has a broad dusky bandacross the upper part of the breast. The belly in all casesis whitish. Some old females are said to have the blue andba
. A history of British birds . e variable : the chin and upper part ofthe throat is greyish-white, generally with an indication ofblue on the sides ; lower down there is commonly a mixtureof blue and of bay feathers, to which succeeds a band of bluemixed with black, and then some feathers tinged with female, however, killed from the nest in Norway, and nowin Mr. Alstons collection, has no appearance whatever ofeither blue or bay on the throat, but has a broad dusky bandacross the upper part of the breast. The belly in all casesis whitish. Some old females are said to have the blue andbay almost equal in colour to that of the males. The young in their first feathers resemble the young ofthe Redbreast, but the throat is white, tinged more or lesswith bay, and they have the characteristic tail of the adult. Young males afier their first moult somewhat resembleadult females and seem to be equally variable, but the wing-feathers have broad tips or edgings of yellowish-brown. REDSTART. 329 PA SSER ES. S Yh VIIDA\.. RuTiciLLA PHCENicuRUs (Liniifeus^). THE REDSTART. Phoeniciwa ruticillah The Redstart or Firetail is a summer visitor that comesto this country from the south. It is not very numerous, andin some localities is rather rare. It makes its appearance inthe southern counties of England generally about the secondweek in April, and arrives in the neighboiii-hood of Carlisleby the third week, returning southward towards the end ofAugust ; but the character of the season exercises great in-fluence in determining the time of the appearance of this bird,as well as some others, their movements being generally betterindicated by the state of vegetation and temperature than bythe almanack. In some particulars the Redstart resembles the Bluethroatand the Redbreast. It inhabits the skirts of forests, lanes,• Motucilla phcenicurus, Linnajus, Syst. Nat. Ed. 12, i. p. 335 (1766).t Swainson. Selby, 111. Orn. Ed. 2, i. p. 191 (1833)? 330 SYLVIID.^. meadows, orchards and gar
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