WRYNECK—SWIFT 45 
(2) Family: Iyngine—Wrynecks 
86. Wryneck [Iynx torquilla torquilla Linneeus], Summer 
visitor. Rare except in wooded 
districts of S.E. England. Bird of 
passage. 
Bird. Length 7 in. Recognised 
by the variegated pattern of its 
plumage. The toes, two in front 
and two behind. The upper-parts 
are mostly covered with an intricate Wie. 5 
pattern of grey mixed with brown, igs PU 
buff, and whitish, heavily marked with dusky streaks. The 
erectile crown is barred with chestnut and spotted white. 
The brown wing quills are spotted with chestnut to form a 
chess-board pattern. Irregular dusky bars on the greyish 
tail. Under-parts chiefly buff, deeper on the throat and breast, 
with dusky bars and V-shaped striations. The young lack the 
heavy dusky streaks on the back. 
Nest. Place: usually a hole in a tree not bored by the 
bird. Also holes in banks. Material: none. 
Eggs. Usually 7-8. White. Av. size, 80x°60 in. Laying 
begins May-June. One brood. 
(3) Family : Cypselide—Swifts 
87. Swift [Apus apus apus (Linneeus) ; Cypselus apus (Lin- 
neus)]. Summer visitor, scarce in N. Scotland. Bird of 
passage (KE. Clarke). 
Bird. Length 7 in. Differs from the Swallows, 
Martins, and all other Passerine birds in having all four 
toes directed forward. It may further be distinguished 
from the swallow and the martin by its 
larger size, and the long, narrow, scythe- 
shaped wings equal to the body in length. 
Plumage sooty black, except the throat, 
which is dull white. Faint bronze-green 
gloss on upper side of body. 
Nest. Place: under eaves, in holes or 
crevices of buildings; occasionally in Fig. 51. 
crevices of rocks and quarries. Material: 
a scanty lining of straw, feathers, and other material picked up 
by the bird on the wing and cemented together with its saliva. 
Eggs. Usually 2-3. White. Av. size, ‘98x‘63 in. Laying 
begins end May or early June. One brood. 
