BRITISH BIRDS. 155 



Ruff. — The female is called a Reeve. Upper surface 

 brown and grey ; lower, white, with brown and red marks 

 on the side. This bird has the power of raising the long 

 feathers of the neck, which then form a kind of ruff, 

 whence its name, that gives it a singular appearance. The 

 female is less than the male, and practically destitute of the 

 ruff. They arrive in April and depart in September, but 

 are much less frequent than formerly. Length of male, 

 12i inches; of female, 10 inches. TIil; lone; leofs are yellow. 

 These birds are very pugnacious in the breeding season, but 

 are as easily kept in confinement as the two preceding. 



Sanderling. — This is another shore bird, brownish grey 

 above and on the breast, elsewhere white ; the bill and legs 

 and feet dark horn-colour, with a tinge of green ; it is 

 destitute of hind toe ; across the lower third of the wings 

 is a white bar. The female is larger than the male ; it is a 

 winter visitor only. 



Sandpiper. — The common sandpiper (there are a 

 number of other species so called, which consideration of 

 space will not permit to be noticed here) is a small bird of 

 a brownish green colour above, and white beneath ; the 

 breast and upper parts are plentifully marked with black ; 

 bill, legs, and feet olivaceous green ; pluma^ge fine and 

 silky. Length, 7 inches. The sexes are alike in appear- 

 ance. 



It is also called the summer snipe, but has little resem- 

 blance to that gastronomic favourite. Migratory in habit, 

 it nests in many parts of Britain, laying four eggs of a 

 creamy white, spotted with brown ; they are very large 

 for the size of the bird, and are reputed good to eat. 



Redshank. — General colour bluish grey, shaded with 

 brown on the wings, darkest on the back, and everywhere 

 plentifully spotted with black and grey, except on the rump, 

 which is plain ; the bill, legs, and feet are dull red. Sexes 



