266 



THE WRYNECK. 



noticed the bird was sitting in a perpendicular position, with 

 its head upwards, clinging to the stones with its claws ; and 

 shortly afterwards it began to twist its head and neck about 

 in a very peculiar manner until they turned round half a 

 circle, while the lower part of the body, claws and tail, 

 remained quite unmoved. Ultimately it slipped round the 

 gable of the house, and flew towards the top of a neighbour- 

 ing pine-tree, where it went out of sight. 



The Wryneck is a beautiful bird of an elegant form, 

 about the size of a Sky-lark, and its colours are soft and 

 varied, like those of the Nightjar and Owl. In its habits, 

 which are shy and retiring, it somewhat resembles the wood- 

 peckers ; and, like those birds, it searches the trunks and 

 branches of trees for insects. It is very fond of ants and 

 their eggs, and is often seen on the ground about their hills. 

 The tongue of the bird, which is covered with a glutinous 

 substance, is used with great effect amongst ants' eggs, for 

 when it is protruded they adhere to it, and are thus rapidly 

 conveyed to the mouth. This species generally arrives in 

 England about the first or second week of April, and on 

 account of its usually preceding the Cuckoo by a few days, 

 is called in some districts the Cuckoo's Leader, the Cuckoo's 

 Mate, or the Cuckoo's Messenger. 





