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THE NATURE BOOK 



full swnng of stripping the oak bark, the 

 loud and oft-repeated call of the Wryneck 

 sounds through the woods ; and the men, 

 as they pause in their work, tell each other 

 that the " Rinding Bird " has arrived. 

 This bird, with its dehcate. pencilled, grey- 

 brown plumage, has many a popular name 

 besides its forest one of " Rinding Bird." 

 in some counties being known as " April 

 Bird," " Cuckoo's Mate," or " Snake 

 Bird." " Rinding Bird," " April Bn-d," 

 and " Cuckoo's Mate " are all names 

 which have to do with the season of 

 its arrival ; whilst " Snake Bird " and 

 " Wryneck " tell of two peculiar character- 

 istics ; one of the vigorous hissing noise 



which the sitting bird makes when 

 disturbed ;■ the other of its habit of 

 twisting its long flexible neck into all sorts 

 of odd contortions. On account of the 

 wonderful way in which its mottled 

 plumage harmonises with the bark of the 

 branches amongst which the bird delights 

 to hide, the Wryneck is a most dilhcult 

 bird of which to obtain a good sight. It 

 builds no regular nest, but contents itself 

 with shghtly enlarging a suitable hole in 

 the trunk of some tree in the Forest, 

 particularly the stunted thorn tree, and 

 forming just a shght layer of soft rotten 

 wood at the bottom of the hole, upon 

 which it lays its glossy, white eggs. A 



A YOUNG WKYNKCK AWAITING THE RETURN OK THE PARENT BIRDS. 



