WRYNECK 171 



tongue, as well as by other common characters. See 

 Plate 7, Fig. 31. 



Like all the other Woodpeckers, the Wryneck lays 

 several glossy white eggs in the hollow of some decay- 

 ing tree, making no nest, but using the rotten wood 

 at the bottom* of the hole. When disturbed, the 

 sitting-bird makes a loud hissing noise, which induces 

 one to suppose that the hole is occupied by a snake, 

 and this usually secures freedom from further "inter- 

 ference. On this account, as well as from the remark- 

 able way in which the bird twists its neck, the name 

 Snake-bird has been bestowed upon it. When taken 

 in the hand, the Wryneck, like some other birds, 

 feigns death so successfully that it often escapes. 



