is also scarce ; it is rare in Yorkshire. Mr. Selby has ascertained
that a few only appear every year in Northumberland,
There are records of this bird having been killed-twice in
Berwickshire, once in Fifeshire, and in one or two other instances
in Scotland. Müller and M. Nilsson include the
Wryneck among the birds of Denmark and Sweden* the
latter author noticing that it makes its appearance, in' Sweden1
at the beginning of - May. M. Temminck saysvit is -a rare
bird in Holland ; but ft is common in Germany, France,
Spain, Provence,, and Italyj during summer. Mr. Gould
has received specimens from the Himalaya mountains,—ä
locality remarkable for European forms among its-animal im-
habitants. M. Temminck includes it in his -Catalogue of the
Birds of Japan; and M„ Vieillot says it is found in Kamtschatka.
The Wryneck, when quitting the southern part of
the European continent in autumn, goes to north Africa, , and
the warm parts of western Asia.
The adult bird has the beak brown ; the irides hazel; th e
top of the head greyish brown, barred across with s.treaks .of
darker brown and white ; neck, back, rump, and upper tail-
coverts, grey, speckled with brown; from the occiput down
the middle line of the back of the neck, and between the
scapulars, a streak of dark brown mixed'- with black | the
wings brown, speckled with lighter Reflow-brown, and -a few
whiter spots; the primary quill-feathers barred alternately
with pale yellow brown and black ; the tertials on the upper
surface marked with a descending line of black; upper surface
of the tail-feathers mottled with grey and brown, and marked
with four irregularly transverse bars of black; chin, throat,
ear-coverts, and neck in front, pale yellow brown, with- narrow
transverse black lines; breast, belly, sides, and under tail-
coverts, dull white, tinged with pale yellow brown, and
spotted with black; under surface of tail-feathers pale.greyish
brown, speckled and barred with black; legs, toes, and claws,
brown.
The whole length of the bird seven inches. From the
carpal'joint, .to the end ^fiSthe wing, three inches and one
’quarter! the first and third quill-feathers nearly equal in
■length,-longer than the 'fourth, but a little shorter than the
second*, vhfflr ipthedongest in the wing.
The femalefMmther larger'tthan the male, and th e colours
^jfiher p li^ ^ e -a re less^piipp and>-brigKt.$f' M. Temminck says
the dark band on the neck and back
’«The fignpfetd5« here tihse^fetb Tepresents the foot and the
head Wryneck, l ^ ^ | | | Sjp ^atiirallpM^ the foot, as
referred to in life genr^fi charaders^ip^ticad as'described at
page 4 5 Ss.*;. /@f the twii’ small thread-dike muscles’' seen, at the
throat on tne* side of< the/wiii€pipe,^qne5} yith Iff® fellow on
the other~s1-dft6f the fieck^belongs trachea itself; the
other^assists'in drawing the tongue back into the mouth after
it has-been-thrust forward.