452 CLASS AVES. 



and by means of the same mechanism ; but it is 

 without spines ; their bill, moreover, straight and 

 pointed, is nearly round ; their tail has the feathers 

 only of an ordinary form. They live nearly like the 

 woodpeckers, except that they climb but little. 

 We have one of them in Europe. 



The Wryneck. Yunx Torquilla. Lin. Enl. 698. 

 Naum. 381. 



Of the size of a lark, brown above, and prettily 

 marked with little blackish waves, and longitudinal 

 yellow, and black reticulations ; whitish striped 

 across, with black underneath. 



Its name is taken from the singular habit which 

 it has, when surprised, of twisting the neck and 

 head in various ways. 



The PicuMNES of Temminck differ from the wry- 

 necks only in having a very short tail. They are 

 very small birds. 



Least Wryneck. P. Minule. Tern. Yunx Minu- 

 tissima. Gm. Enl. 7^6. f. 1. 



Size of a wren ; top of head, red ; occiput, black, 

 white-spotted ; body, red ; beneath, grey ; hen, crown 

 black. Cayenne. 



Crested Wryneck. P. Cirrhatus. Tem. Col. 371. 

 f. 1. Vieill. Gal. 28. 



Above, brown ; beneath, brownish- white, with trans- 

 verse bars ; crest, black and red, spotted white. South 

 America. 



