20 British Birds, with their Nests and Eggs. 



backs and heads of five j'Oiing birds, evidently full fledged. On lifting one out 

 I discovered that it was a Wryneck and promptly put it into a basket, hoping 

 to secure the whole family, but as I put the second into my basket the first 

 one escaped and another dashed past my hand from the nesting hole. However 

 I secured three and got them home safely, put them temporaril}' into a small 

 cage and went down to dinner. Going up to feed them shortly afterwards I 

 discovered all three birds sitting together on the back of a chair, they having 

 all got through the water-hole of the cage. 



These birds fed greedily on Nightingale food, and when hungry they 

 alwa3rs uttered the silvery shake which had first attracted me to their nest ; 

 thej^ were ver}^ tame and used to run over me, frequently using their tails 

 as a partial support, they always moved upwards in little jerks. In a large 

 cage the tails Avere almost always called into requisition, the feathers being 

 partl}^ projected through the wire netting as they hopped upwards. 



Towards the end of July the first of my Wrynecks died, and a second 

 showed signs of ill-health, but by moving it nearer to the air and constantly 

 administering caterpillars (like pills) I managed to prolong its life until the night 

 of August 14th, when it also died. The third bird continued to do well, was 

 very active and had a health}' appetite ; but the long chilly nights in November 

 sent it into a decline from which it also died on December 9th. 



One curious fact that I noticed with these Wrynecks was that although from 

 the first the}' readily ate the young green caterpillars of the cabbage moth, they 

 would not touch the older brown caterpillars until, by compelling them to 

 swallow several, they had made the discovery that the colouring had nothing to 

 do with the flavour ; even then they took the green ones first. 



The call-note of the Wryneck is a sharp whistle, which has been variously 

 described as " vite, vite, vifc, vife, vite,'" "'qui, qui, qui, qui, qui, and pay, pay, pay, 

 pay, pay'" ; but Lord Lilford says it bears a resemblance to that of the Lesser 

 Spotted Woodpecker, and a still greater resemblance to that of the young Hobby 

 fFalco subbuteoj . 



