to breed.

It is included in Professor Ansted's list, but only marked as occurring
in Guernsey. There is, however, no specimen at present in the Museum.


31. BLACK REDSTART. _Ruticilla titys_, Scopoli. French, "Rouge queue
Tithys."--The Black, or Tithys Redstart, as it is sometimes called, is a
regular and by no means uncommon autumnal visitant to Guernsey. It seems
very much to take the place of the Wheatear, arriving about the time the
Wheatear departs, and mostly frequenting the same places. In Guernsey
it is most common near the sea about the low part of the Island, from
L'ancresse Common to Perrelle Bay. In habits it puts one very much in
mind of the Wheatear, being very fond, like that bird, of selecting some
big stone or some other conspicuous place to perch on and keep a
look-out either for intruders or for some passing insect, either flying
or creeping, for it is an entirely insect-feeding bird.

I have never seen the Black Redstart about the high part of the Island
amongst the rocks, which I am rather surprised at, as in the south coast
of Devon it seems particularly partial to high cliffs and rocks, such as
the Parson and Clerk Rock near Teignmouth; but in Guernsey the wild
grassy commons, with scattered rocks and large boulders, and
occasionally a rough pebbly beach, especially the upper part of it where
the pebbles join the grass, seem more the favourite resort of this bird
than the high rocks, such places probably being more productive of food.
It is of course quite useless to look for this bird in the interior of
the Island in gardens and orchards, and such places as one would
naturally look for the Common Redstart.