THE LADIES’ MAGAZINE OF GARDENING. 
243 
a young one kept through the winter in this country, sung in the spring 
its natural note before any of its relations arrived, a proof that the note 
is innate and hereditary. Probably this is the case with all other birds. 
Their songs and calls are indications of their feelings; and where the 
organisation is similar, similar sounds and vocal inflections must also be 
the same. 
The next genus, of which we have one species in this country, is 
The Wryneck, or Cuckoo’s Mate, (Yunx torquilla ,) which is a bird 
a little larger and of a longer shape than the house-sparrow. The 
general plumage is ash-coloured, spotted with brown and black; tail 
barred with black. Two fore and two hind claws : this formation of the 
feet is necessary to enable the bird to cling to the bark of trees, where it 
finds most of its food, being provided with a long tongue for withdrawing 
insects from the holes and crevices of the bark. They make their nests 
in holes of trees, and lay four or five blue eggs. They are called the 
cuckoo’s mate, because they arrive in this country and depart about 
the same time with the cuckoo; and wryneck, because they are mostly 
seen sitting on the topmost bough of a tree like sentinels, looking every 
way around ; in which action their head appears to be raised on a pivot, 
from the facility with which the bird can turn his head in every direction 
without change of place. It is when so looking about him, the bird 
every now and then utters his simple song of the same note, six or seven 
times repeated in a short strain. This mirth and watchfulness united, 
appears to be an overture to attract the notice of, or spy the passing 
females. 
REVIEWS. 
The Botanical Magazine for July contains the following plants :— 
Cyrtochihim maculatum (t. 3880). This very beautiful orchideous 
plant has been already figured in the Botanical Register; but it is so 
splendid a species, and the plate in the Botanical Magazine is so well 
executed, that we cannot regret to see it again. 
Goldfussia glomerata (t. 3881). This is a stove shrubby plant from 
the mountains of Sylhet, with lilac flowers, which has been before figured 
in the Botanist. The flowers are much paler in this plate than I have 
generally seen them on the living plants in Knight’s Nursery, and conse¬ 
quently any one seeing only the figure would think the plant less hand¬ 
some than it really is. It is quite new, having been only introduced 
