WROTHAM, an urban district in the Medway parliamentary division of Kent, England, 10 m. W. by N. of Maidstone, on the South-Eastern & Chatham railway. Pop. (1901) 3571. The church of St George, Early English and later, contains numerous brasses; and near it is the site of a palace of the archbishops of Canterbury, maintained until the time of Archbishop Simon Islip (c. 1350). S.W. of Wrotham is the village of Ightham, in which is a fine quadrangular moated manor-house, the Mote, in part of the 14th century, but with portions of Tudor dates.
WRYNECK (Ger. Wendehals, Dutch draaihalzen, Fr. torcol), a bird so called from its way of writhing its head and neck, especially when captured on its nest in a hollow tree. The Iynx[1] torquilla is a regular summer visitant to most parts of Europe, generally arriving a few days before the cuckoo, and is known in England as “cuckoo’s leader” and “cuckoo’s mate,” but occasionally is called “ snake-bird,” not only from the undulatory motions, just mentioned, but from the violent hissing with which it seeks to repel an intruder from its hole.[2]
The unmistakable note of the wryneck is merely a repetition of what may be syllabled que, que, que, many times in succession, rapidly uttered at first, but gradually slowing and in a continually falling key. This is only heard during a few weeks, and for the rest of the bird’s stay in Europe it seems to be mute. It feeds almost exclusively on insects, especially on ants. It is larger than a sparrow, but its plumage is not easily described, being beautifully variegated with black, brown, buff and grey—the last produced by minute specks of blackish-brown on a light ground—the darker markings disposed in patches, vermiculated bars, freckles, streaks or arrowheads—and the whole blended most harmoniously, so as to recall the coloration of a goatsucker (q.v.) or of a woodcock (q.v.). The wryneck commonly lays its translucent white eggs on the bare wood of a hole in a tree, and is one of the few wild birds that can be induced to go on laying by abstracting its eggs day after day, and thus upwards of forty have been taken from a single hole—but the proper complement is from six to ten. As regards Britain, the bird is most common in the S.E., its numbers decreasing rapidly towards the W. and N., so that in Cornwall and Wales and beyond Cheshire and Yorkshire its occurrence is but rare, while it appears only by accident in Scotland and Ireland.
Some writers have been inclined to recognize five other species of the genus Iynx; but the so-called I. japonica is specifically indistinguishable from I. torquilla; while that designated, through a mistake in the locality assigned to it; I. indica, has been found to be identical with the I. pectoralis of S. Africa. Near to this is I. pulchricollis, discovered by Emin Pasha in the E. of the Bar-el-Djebel (Ibis, 1884, p. 28, pl. iii.). Another distinct African species is the I. aequatorialis, originally described from Abyssinia. The wrynecks (see Woodpecker form a subfamily Iynginae of the Picidae, from the more normal groups of which they differ but little in internal structure, but much in coloration and in having the tail-quills flexible, or at least not stiffened to serve as props as in the climbing Picinae. (A. N.)
WRY-NECK (Lat. Torticollis), a congenital or acquired deformity, characterized by the affected side of the head being drawn downwards toward the shoulder together with deviation of the face, toward the sound side. There are various forms. (1) The congenital, due to a lesion of the sterno-mastoid muscle, either the result of a malposition in utero or due to the rupture of the muscle in the delivery of the aftercoming head in the birth of the breech presentation. (2) The rheumatic, due to exposure to a draught or cold. This is commonly known as “stiff-neck.” (3) The nervous or spasmodic, the result of (a) direct irritation of the spinal accessory nerve or its roots, or (b) the result of cerebral irritation. In this form there is generally a family history of nervous diseases, notably epilepsy. This spasm is one of a group of nervous spasms known as “tics,” a variety of habit spasm. The character of the movements varies with the muscles involved, the most usual muscle being the sterno-mastoid. The spasm ceases during sleep. Many cases are also due to hysteria and some to spinal caries. When wry-neck is congenital, massage and manipulation may be tried and some form of apparatus. Failing this, division of the muscle surgically may be practiced. In the spasmodic forms, anti-neurotic treatment is recommended, the use of the bromides, valerianates and belladonna, and hydrobromide of hyoscine injected into the muscles has been found of value. T. Grainger Stewart recommends in persistent tic the trial of continuous and regular movements in the affected group of muscles with a view to replacing the abnormal movements by normal ones. In severe cases it may be necessary to cut down on and stretch or excise the spinal accessory nerve. In rheumatic torticollis the spasm is usually overcome by the application of hot compresses and appropriate anti-rheumatic treatment.
WUCHANG, the capital of the combined provinces of Hup-eh and Hu-nan, China. It is one of the three cities, Wuchang, Hanyang and Hankow, which stand together at the mouth of the Han river, and is situated on the right bank of the river Yangtsze, almost directly opposite the foreign settlement of Hankow. It is the seat of the provincial government of the two Hu or Hu-kwang, as these provinces are collectively termed, at the head of which is a viceroy. Next to Nanking and Canton, it is one of the most important vice-royalties in the empire. It possesses an arsenal and a mint. The provincial government has established ironworks for the manufacture of rails and other railway material. As the works did not pay under official management, they were transferred to the director-general of railways. Wuchang is not open to foreign trade and residence, but a considerable number of missionaries, both Roman Catholic and Protestant, live within the walls. The native population is estimated at 800,000, including cities on both banks. Wuchang is an important junction on the trunk railway from Peking to Canton; and is on the route of the Sze-ch'uen railway.
WUCHOW, a treaty port in the province of Kwang-si, China, opened to foreign trade in 1897, and situated on the left bank of the Si-kiang (West river) at its junction with the Fu or Kwei-Kiang (Cassia) river. It is 220 m. above Canton, with which it is in navigable connexion for vessels drawing up to 8 ft. of water. In 1908 the value of the trade passing through the maritime customs amounted to £1,566,000, representing, however, only a portion of the trade. Of this total, two-thirds were for imports, consisting principally of cotton and cotton goods, kerosene oil, woollens, &c. Sugar, various oils, hides and aniseed were the chief exports. The native population is estimated at 65,000. At Shuihing the river flows for 5 m. through a deep gorge bordered by limestone cliffs 2000 ft. in height. Farther up the river threads its way through a series of rocky defiles, forming at intervals what seems an inland lake with no apparent outlet. During summer floods the water thus pent up by the gorges rises at Wuchow 50 or 60 ft. In consequence of the variation of river level, the principal offices and shops are built upon pontoons which are moored alongside the river-bank. The situation of Wuchow makes it the natural distributing centre between Kwei-chow, Kwang-si and Canton. Great things were therefore expected of it as a treaty port, but disorders in Kwang-si delayed the fulfilment of the hopes. Trade, however, has improved, and a large native passenger traffic has sprung up between it and Canton. It is connected with Hong Kong and Shanghai by telegraph.
WUHU, a district city in the province of Ngan-hui, China, about 1 m. from the S. bank of the Yangtsze-kiang, with which it is connected by a straggling suburb. It is about 50 m. above Nanking, and in 1858 it was marked out as a treaty port, but was not opened to trade until 1877. It is connected by canals with the important cities of Ning-Kwo Fu, T'ai-p'ing Hien, Nan-ling Hien and Ching Hien, the silk districts in the neighborhood of the two last cities being within 50 m. of Wuhu. Coal to a considerable extent exists in the country round. At first its commercial progress was very slow, the older ports of Kiu-kiang and Chin-kiang militating against its success; but of late there has been a distinct improvement in the trade of the port, the net value of which was about £3,000,000 in 1906. The principal exports are rice, cotton, wheat, tea, furs and feathers. For the production of feathers large quantities of ducks are reared in the surrounding districts. Of imports, opium formed
- ↑ Frequently misspelt, as by Linnaeus in his later years, Yunx.
- ↑ The peculiarity was known to Aristotle, and possibly led to the cruel use of the bird as a love-charm, to which several classical writers refer, as Pindar (Pyth. iv. 214; Nem. iv. 35), Theocritus (iv. 17, 30) and Xenophon (Memorabilia, iii. 11, 17, 18). In one part at least of China a name, Shay ling, signifying “Snake’s neck,” is given to it (Ibis, 1875, p. 125).
