The Wryneck 



r pHE Wryneck is a migratory bird ar- 

 -*- riving in this country during the 

 month of April. Although no larger than a 

 skylark, it soon makes its presence known 

 by its loud and oft-repeated call notes, which 

 sound something like "que, que, que" On 

 account of its arrival a few days before 

 the cuckoo it is known in many parts of 

 the country as the " Cuckoos Mate/' 



In many respects it is a strange bird. 

 It breeds in holes in trees, and lays its 

 seven or eight pure white eggs on the bare 

 wood. If some young would-be egg-collec- 

 tor should happen to come along and 

 thrust his wicked little hand into the hole, 

 the sitting Wryneck will hiss just like a 

 snake. This mild piece of deception often 

 succeeds in frightening the young robber 

 away. 



She also has another queer little trick, 

 and curiously enough it is one from which 



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