434 
NOTES TO THE 
hollow trees and holes of walls ; the nest is variously composed of 
moss, grass, and dry leaves, and is often lined with a little hair. 
The eggs are much smaller, but are of the same colour, as those 
of the hedge accentor. They are more pointed in form than 
those of that bird, and are from five to eight in number. This 
kind is very common in the southern parts of England. — Gr. 
Napier. 
The Hedge-Sparrow {Accentor modular ins), p. 174. — It forms 
its nest of moss, to which wool is frequently added ; an outside 
fortification of sticks guards it ; the inside is lined with hair, 
either of the horse or cow. But the nest is sometimes chiefly, if 
not entirely, composed of grass. The eggs are always of an 
unspotted blue green, which varies little in shade ; they are from 
five to six in number. It breeds from March to June, This 
bird has a pretty plaintive little song, and is a free singer in a 
cage. A good bird is worth five shillings. 
Wryneck, p. 175. — This is a migratory bird, arriving here in the 
middle of April and leaving about the end of August. It breeds in 
the holes of trees and feeds on banks on ants, and on insects under 
the bark of trees ; they are easily raised from the nest, but "caught 
birds " will never feed. The young should be fed on scraped beef 
and hard boiled egg. It is called the cuckoo's mate, because it 
arrives about the same time as the cuckoo. It is also called the 
"snake bird," because it has a curious habit of twisting its head 
right round over its back like a snake. This habit can be easily 
observed when a live wryneck is held in the hand. The wryneck 
is an easily caught bird, and is sure to come into the net if the 
ground is turned up and a fresh " scrape " is made under a hedge, 
when laying for the summer bird tribe or soft-billed birds. 
The toes of the wryneck are very peculiar ; there are four on 
each leg, two long toes outside, the short toes are inside. This 
is a most peculiar formation, well adapted for climbing a tree. 
They are wonderful runners on the bark, and will deceive 
by running round the back of a tree. 
" The wryneck (Yunx torq\dlla)l' writes Mr. Napier, " places its 
six to ten eggs in the holes of trees. They are usually pure 
white when blown ; but I have several which have a slight tinge 
of green. Before being blown, they are of a fine salmon colour, 
owing to the transparent nature of the shell ; they have less 
lustre than the woodpecker's. The wryneck lays its eggs on chips 
of rotten wood, to which it sometimes adds a few feathers 
and moss. It is widely distributed, and is a summer visitor 
to this country." 
