294 



THE WRYNECK. 



by a singular instinct left the house of the dead, and 

 flew into his room. Its habits were curious and so fami- 

 liar, that they were quite attractive; it climbed up the 

 wall by any stick or cord near it, devouring flies. It 

 sometimes began at his foot, and at one race would run 

 up his leg or arm, or round his neck, and down his other 

 arm, and so to the table. It would there tap with its 

 bill with a noise as loud as a hammer, and this was its 

 general habit, on the wood-work in every part of the 

 room ; when it did so, it would look intently at the place, 

 and dart at any fly or insect it saw running in all 

 probability adopting this noisy mode of disturbing such 

 insects as might be concealed within, that it might seize 

 them the moment they appeared* . 



The Wryneck is a small bird about the size of a 

 Thrush, which comes and goes nearly at the same time 



as the Cuckoo, whence it is in some places called the 

 Cuckoo's Mate. Its habits and formation in many 



* WALSH'S Constantinople, page 310. 



