WRYNECK. 



155 



Avliicli is lost in the blowing. I replaced the nest, and 

 visited it during the ensuing week, and was induced, out of 

 curiosity, to examine it again, when, to my astonishment, I 

 found the birds had not deserted the hole, she having laid 

 six more eggs since. I took these away, and was obliged to 

 keep them, as I was only able to replace the nest by again 

 thrusting it up in the inside of the tree as before, which I 

 did. I again visited the spot in the following week, and 

 found that they had still pertinaciously adhered to their 

 domicile, having further laid four more eggs. I repeated the 

 experiment ; but not having an opportunity of visiting the 

 tree until ten days afterwards, I thought at the time that the 

 nest Avas abandoned, and was not undeceived until I had 

 again withdrawn the nest, having taken the precaution of 

 endeavouring' to frisfhten the old bird off should she be on 

 the nest, which I found was the case, she suffering me to pull 

 the nest to the bottom of the tree before she attempted to 

 escape : there were seven eggs which were slightly sat ujion. 

 What appears to me extraordinary is that the bird should 

 suffer her nest to be disturbed five times, and the eggs 

 (amounting altogether to twenty-two) to be taken away at 

 four different periods within the month before she finally 

 abandoned the spot she had selected."" 



The young birds are easily tamed, and are great favourites 

 with boys in this country, but more particularly so in France, 

 where it is customary to tic a piece of thin string to one of 

 the legs of the bird, and carrying it from one tree to another, 

 allow it to search the bark for insects ; and when brought 

 back to hand by the string, it climbs with equal facility over 

 any part of their clothes. 



The Wryneck is very common during summer in the 

 south-eastern counties of England ; but it decreases in num- 

 bers on proceeding to the westward : it is rare in Cornwall, 

 and has not been ascertained to visit Ireland. Northward it 



