THE WRYNECK. 



563 



the sides of the cage, and as evening drew on fixed himself in a high hanging or 

 perpendicular position, and slept with his head in his wing. 



As soon as dawn appeared, even before it was light enough to perceive him distinctly 

 across the room, he descended to the bottom of the cage and began his attack on the ears 

 of Indian corn, rapping so loud as to be heard from every room in the house. After this 

 he would sometimes resume his former position and take another nap. He was beginning 

 to become very amusing and even socialile, when, after a lapse of several weeks, he 

 became drooping and died, as I conceived from the effects of his wound." 



The colouring of the Gold-winged Woodpecker is very complicated. The top of the 

 head is grey, the cheeks are cinnamon, and the back and wings are umber, marked with 

 transverse bars of black. On the back of the head is a semilunar spot of blood-red, the 

 two horns pointing towards the eyes, and a streak of black passes from the base of the beak 

 down the throat. The sides of the neck are grey. The breast, throat, and chin are 

 cinnamon, and a broad crescentic patch of black crosses the chest. The abdomen is 

 yellowish-white, profusely spotted with black. The upper tail-coverts are white, serrated 

 with black. The inner sides of the wings and tail, and the shafts of nearly all the 

 feathers, are of a beautiful golden yellow ; " the upper sides of the tail and the tip below 

 are black, edged iivith light loose filaments of a cream colour, the two exterior feathers 

 serrated with whitish." The bill is du.sky brown colour and slightly bent. The female is 

 coloured, but does not possess the black feathers on each side of the throat. The total 

 length of this bird is about one foot. 



VRYmLCK.—YuHX torquilla. 



This curious bird, known under the popular and appropriate name of the Wkyneck, ia 

 by some authors considered to be closely allied to the woodpeckers. 



The Wiyneck is a summer visitant to this country, appearing just before the cuckoo, 

 and therefore known in some parts of England as the cuckoo's footman. There is a Welsh 

 name for this bird, signifying " Cuckoo's knave," " Gwas-y-gog," the pronunciation of 

 which I must leave to Welsh throats. 



The tongue of this bird is long, slender, and capable of bemg projected to the distance 

 of an inch or so from the extremity of the beak, and its construction is almost exactly the 

 same as that of the woodpecker. As might be supposed, it is employed for the same 

 pui-pose, being used in capturing little insects, of which ants form its favourite diet. So 

 fond, indeed, is the Wryneck of these insects, that in some parts of England it is popularly 



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