FOR CAGES AND A VI ARIES. 231 



general colour is olive-green on the upper parts, and on 

 the under surface whitish-yellow, gradually merging to white 

 at the vent and lower tail coverts. 



It arrives in April and departs in September, frequents 

 woods, and is rarely seen in the vicinity of human habita- 

 tions. It is a tree-frequenting species, and, unlike the 

 Chiff-chaff and the Willow Wren, does not often descend 

 near the ground, except when nesting, which it does among 

 a heap of leaves, so that it is very difficult to discover 

 its habitation. 



Wood Wrens are purely insectivorous, but may be pre- 

 served for several years in the house, whether hand-reared 

 or caught when full grown, on ants' eggs, maggots and 

 tiny scraps of raw meat, or a very little yolk of hard- 

 boiled egg. It is very impatient of cold. 



THE WRYNECK. 



This bird is supposed to be a connecting link between 

 the Woodpeckers and the Tree Creepers. It is a bird of 

 passage, and in some parts is known as the Cuckoo's Mate, 

 from timing its arrival here a little in advance of that 

 herald of the spring. Without being a showy, it is a 

 handsome bird, but a difficult one to describe. Its general 

 colour is brown, waved and spotted with several shades 

 of the same colour; the lower breast and abdomen are 

 white marked with little lance-shaped spots having the 

 points directed backwards; the rump and the tail are 

 slate, the latter crossed by three darker bands. Like the 

 Woodpeckers it is zygodactylous, or has two toes directed 

 forwards and two backwards. It nests in holes in trees 

 and lays six or seven white eggs. The young can be 

 reared on ants' eggs and flies, and will become very tame. 



The present writer once had a Wryneck that was reared 

 by hand, chiefly on flies, and which became so tame and 

 familiar that its very fearlessness led to its untimely end; 

 but as the story has been detailed in full in another place, 

 it cannot be repeated here. It is, however, a further con- 

 firmation of the view that all birds can be tamed and 



