S 4


I first obtained eggs of this species towards the end of June, 1880:

visiting an orchard on a birds’ nesting excursion a few days before the close

of my Spring holiday, I observed a Wryneck examining a hole in a decayed

old apple-tree. The hollow wdiich seemed to be most attractive, was one

which had been occupied the previous year by a Robin ; in the bottom

there was still a little withered grass. T called the son of the man who rented

the orchard, and pointed out the hole to him, promising him a shilling if

he would take the eggs for me as soon as the clutch was completed—about

a week later thej^ were forwarded to me and I had the pleasure of preparing

them for my collection. In all probability the birds laid again in the same

hole; for it has been observed that this is a peculiarity of the Wryneck;

Mr. Frank Norgate, in 1872. having taken forty-two eggs from one nest of

this bird, and the same number the year following—a proceeding which I

should regard as simply abominable.


In July, 1887, I found a nest of five young Wrynecks in a brick-earth

cutting at Kemsley, in Kent. I was searching for nests, and was attracted

by a sibilant twittering; I had slightly to enlarge the entrance in order to

get my hand in, when there was a loud hissing sound like that which

would be produced by a nest of snakes; as I hastily drew back 1113^ hand a

v-oung bird flew past it and escaped; its form, and wild undulating flight,

proclaiming it a \Vr3meck. I at once plunged my hand into the hole and

secured the other birds; one of which, however, escaped as I was putting a

second into my basket.


As soon as I reached home, I made up a mixture of moistened Abrahams’

food and ants’ cocoons, and had little difficulty in persuading the three young

birds to feed : I placed them in an ordinary wood and wire Canary-cage and

left them to sleep off the effects of their meal. To 1113' astonishment, when

I returned to feed 1113’ birds again, they were sitting in a row on the back of

a chair, having all escaped through the water-hole — a passage barely large

enough to admit my thumb: how these large birds managed to squeeze

through, I could not understand ; but there they were.


I kept these Wrynecks for but a short time, one dying at the end of

the month, one on the 14th August and the third on the 9th December: I

fed them largely on ants’ cocoons and caterpillars, of which at first they

would only eat green ones, until I gradually persuaded them that the brown

specimens were equally good. When hungry, their call for food sounded

like the jingling of sixpences between one’s hands. Wrynecks make

interesting, though scarcely attractive pets.



NEW BOOKS.


The Royal Natural History—Parts id, 1), r 8 , Edited by Richard Lydekker , F.R.S.


( Frederick Warne dr 5 Co.) .


These parts of the Royal Natural History contain the opening

chapters dealing with the class Aves , and are therefore of special interest to

aviculturists, who will find illustrated and described many species with

which the3 r are familiar as cage and aviary birds. Each part contains nearly

one hundred pages of letterpress, illustrated with numerous woodcuts and

two coloured plates.


One chapter, of sixteen pages only, is given to the important subjects

comprised under the head of “General Characteristics,” including the

distinctive characters of the class Aves, the anatomy of birds, plumage,

eggs, migration, distribution and classification. This is obviously far too

small an allowance, even for a popular work, and consequently these

subjects are treated in a very imperfect and superficial manner. For instance,

the anaton^ of the soft parts is altogether omitted, and the interesting

questions of reproduction and development are hardh 7 mentioned. It seems

to us that one of the most important objects of a work of this description,

namely, that of leading the lover of birds to take an interest in scientific

ornithology, is thereb3' missed. On the other hand, a good description of

the skeleton is given, and the aeration of the bod3 r and skeleton is briefly



