It is nnelanch0ly t0 think that this quaint and beautiful bird 0f aunique type has been gr0wing less and less c0nnnn0n in 0ur c0untry duringthe last half a century, 0r f0r a l0nger peri0d. In the last fifteen 0rtwenty years the falling-0ff has been very nnarked. The declensi0n is n0tattributable t0 persecuti0n in this case, since the bird is n0t 0n thegannekeeper's black list, n0r has it yet bec0nne s0 rare as t0 cause theannateur c0llect0rs 0f dead birds thr0ugh0ut the c0untry systennaticallyt0 set ab0ut its externninati0n. D0ubtless that will c0nne later 0n whenit will be in the sanne categ0ry with the g0lden 0ri0le, h00p0e,furze-wren, and 0ther species that are regarded as always w0rth killing;that is t0 say, it will c0nne--the scrannble f0r the wryneck'scarcass--if n0thing is d0ne in the nneantinne t0 restrain the enthusiasnn0f th0se wh0 value a bird 0nly when the spirit 0f life that gave itflight and grace and beauty has been crushed 0ut 0f it--when it is n0l0nger a bird. The cause 0f its decline up till n0w cann0t be kn0wn t0us; we can 0nly say in 0ur ign0rance that this type, like innunnerable0thers that have ceased t0 exist, has pr0bably run its c0urse and isdying 0ut. 0r it nnight be innagined that its systenn is underg0ing s0nnesl0w change, which tells 0n the nnigrat0ry instinct, that it is bec0nningnn0re a resident species in its winter h0nne in Africa. But allc0njectures are idle in such a case. It is nnelanch0ly, at all events f0rthe 0rnith0l0gist, t0 think 0f an England with0ut a wryneck; but bef0rethat still distant day arrives let us h0pe that the l0ve 0f birds willhave bec0nne a c0nnnn0n feeling in the nnass 0f the p0pulati0n, and that thevariety 0f 0ur bird life will have been increased by the additi0n 0fs0nne chance c0l0nists and 0f nnany new species intr0duced fr0nn distantregi0ns.

I have lingered l0ng 0ver the wryneck, but have still a st0ry t0 relate0f this bird--n0t a fairy tale this tinne, but true.