264 THE BIRDS OF THE BRITISH ISLES. 



eggs (Plate 116) are laid upon wood chips late in April or early 

 in May. Though there is only one brood late nesting is not 

 uncommon, for the Starling finds the larger holes made by the 

 Green Woodpecker convenient nurseries and ousts the rightful 

 tenant. 



The plumage of the sexes is much alike, dark green above 

 and yellowish green below and with crown and nape crimson, 

 but in the male the centre of the moustachial black stripe is 

 crimson ; the lores and around the eye is black in both male 

 and female. The rump is chrome yellow, the outer webs of the 

 primaries barred black and white. The bill and feet are slate- 

 grey, the irides bluish white. The crimson at the base of the 

 bill is present in the young of both sexes, and their upper parts 

 are barred, their under barred, streaked and spotted (Flate 107, 

 lower bird). Length, 12*5 ins. Wing, 6*4 ins. Tarsus, 

 1*1 ins. 



Wryneck. ly^ix torquilla Linn. 



- The Wryneck (Plate 107) is found in summer throughout the 

 greater part of Europe and much of northern Asia ; it winters 

 in tropical Africa and in India. It is a summer visitor to 

 southern and south-eastern England, but north of the midlands 

 only nests occasionally, whilst in northern and western England 

 and Wales, Scotland and Ireland it is an irregular and rare 

 passage migrant. 



Even in its regular haunts the Wryne k is an inconspicuous 

 and retiring bird, but the loud voice of the " Cuckoo's Mate," 

 heard in the latter half of March or early in April, is familiarly 

 looked upon as an announcement that the Cuckoo will soon 

 follow. It haunts woods and open park-land like the wood- 

 peckers, but is also found in lanes, hedgerows, orchards and 

 even gardens. Its flight is undulating and seldom long 

 sustained, but I have seen it crossing a river valley at a fair 



