348 THE WRYNECK 



wryneck to impose upon its enemies. When held in the hand, this 

 bird at first, as if to divert attention or to excite fear, makes strange 

 play with its head and neck, writhing the neck, raising the feathers of 

 the crown, rolling its eyes, and darting out the tongue. If it be not 

 then released it will grasp a finger and hang limp with closed eyes, as if 

 dead, but seizing the first favourable moment to loose its hold and 

 escape. It is certain that this strange conduct cannot have come into 

 being merely to escape these occasional moments of contact with man ; 

 but so far it is difficult to understand what benefit the bird derives in 

 regard to its normal environment from this conduct. On what occa- 

 sions does this " death feigning," as it is commonly called, benefit the 

 performer. The term " death-feigning," used in its everyday sense, is 

 a misnomer, for it is certainly not enacted with conscious purpose. 

 Nevertheless it may be in some way an adjunct to its peculiar colora- 

 tion, which is apparently of a " protective " character, harmonising per- 

 fectly with the bark of the trees on which so much of its life is spent. 

 These sober hues, so exquisitely stippled and blended, contrast in a 

 striking fashion with those of our typical woodpeckers. True, the 

 livery of the green-woodpecker suggests a protective garb, while the 

 plumage of the greater and lesser spotted species would seem to be 

 otherwise. Nevertheless, recent study seems to show that even a garb 

 which appears to present striking contrasts, such as we have in black, 

 white, and red, may yet be protective. That is to say, by reason of 

 these very contrasts of colour the solid appearance and contour of 

 the body are broken up, thus ensuring invisibility. 



Young wrynecks are said to be easily tamed, and to be very enter- 

 taining in confinement According to Yarrell, they will not only take 

 food from their keeper's hand, but climb over his clothes probing every 

 fold and opening with the long lithe tongue ; and in like manner they 

 will explore the furniture of the room, take flies from the window pane, 

 and afford much amusement by their encounters with one another. 

 Here his information stops : just at the most interesting and instructive 

 point the nature of these encounters. Had these been described, 



