run I;I;I:\T HUM:) <;r//)& 



Mr. Yarre)l. ho\\e\.-r. -.-. ms t<> In. Id rather an opposite opinion, :,,i.| says that "tin- Wry- 

 neck is rather military in it- hal>its, IM-UII: very seldom seen -iiii; with, nr - \.'ii near, any 

 other I'inl than its o\\n single partner, and that loo Inn for a N.-IV limited jMirtinii of the 



In captivity tin- \Vi\.i,-, k i- to|,-niH\ docile; and \\li.-.i taken \ouiig can be perfectly 

 Mined, in soul.- countries it is the la>lii>n to tie a Mrim; to the leg of a fcune \Vr\in -<-k unel 

 take it out for daily exercise for food, l.-ttinir it run up tin- trees or n tin- m-ound in -MI, h of 

 insert*. Tin- little Itird soon Incomes accustomed to this kind of life, and when tin- string ia 

 pulled returns to it.s owner, ami runs about his clothes until he gives it ]M>nui.ssion to take 

 another excursion. 



The nest of the Wryneck is hardly deserving of that name, In-in^ merely composed of 

 chips of lva\imr wood. The eggs are laid in the hollow of a tree, not wholly excavated by 

 the bird, as is the case of the woodpeckers, its beak not being sufficiently strong for such a 

 task, but adapted to the purpose from some already existing hole. 



From a letter of a correspondent to Mr. Varn-ll. it seems that although the Wryneck 

 makes no nest, it does not hesitate in appropriating the deserted home of any other bird which 

 it may lind in the hollow which it selects for nidilication. The l>ird had chosen a hole In 

 an old apple-tree for that purpose, and the eggs were laid upon a mass of hair, moss, and 

 tilirous roots, evidently a deserted nest of a redstart. The pertinacity with which the Wry- 

 neck adhered to the tree was really extraordinary, for she suffered her nest to l>e dist url>e 1 and 

 replaced five times, and to be robbed four times of her eggs before she would finally leave the 

 sj>ot. The number of eggs laid by the Wryneck is rather great, as many as ten having often 

 been found in a single nest. In the instance just mentioned, no less than twenty-two eggs 

 were taken at the four intervals. Their color is beautiful white with a pinky tinge, not unlike 

 those of the kingfisher; and as this pink color is produced by the yolk showing itself through 

 the delicate shell, it is, of course, lost when the egg is emptied of its contents. The plumage 

 of this little bird, although devoid of brilliant hues, and decked only with brown, black, and 

 gray, is really handsome from the manner in which those apparently sombre tints are dis- 

 ]tosed. In Yarrell's lxx>k on birds the markings of the Wryneck are given so concisely that 

 they cannot be altered without damage. "The top of the head grayish-brown, barred across 

 with streaks of darker brown and white ; neck, back, rump, and upper tail -coverts gray, 

 speckled with brown. From the occiput (i.e. back of the head) down the middle line of the back 

 of the neck and between the scapularies, is a streak of dark brown mixed with black ; the wings 

 brown, speckled with lighter yellow-brown, and a few white spots ; the primary quill-feathers 

 barred alternately with pale yellow, brown, and black ; the tertials on the upj>er surface 

 marked \\ iih a descending line of black ; upper surface of the tail -feathers mottled with gray 

 and brown, and marked with four irregularly transverse bars of black; chin, throat, ear- 

 co\erts. and neck, in front, pale y.-ll-.w ln-ou n with narrow transverse Hack lin--s : In-east. ),,-lI\, 

 sides, and under tail -co verts, dull white tinged with yellow-brown, and spotted with black ; 

 under surface of tail-feathers pale grayish-brown, speckled and barred with black ; legs, toes, 

 and claws brown." The total length of the adult male bird is about seven inches, and the 

 female is a little smaller than her mate. 



CUCKOOS. 



THE Cuckoos constitute a large family, containing several smaller groups, and many 

 species. Representatives of the groups will be found in the following pages. All these birds 

 have a rather long, slender, and somewhat curved beak, which in some species takes a curve 

 BO decided, that it gives quite a predaceons air to its owner. Examples of the Cuckoo tribe 

 are to be found in almost every portion of the globe, and are most plentiful about the tropics. 



The first group is that of which the celebrated GRKAT HONKV GUIDE is our typical 

 example. The Honey Guides derive their name from the fact that they are extremely fond of 

 wild bees and their honey, and by thrir eager cries attract keen-eared and sharp-eyed hunters 



