COMMON RUFF. 179 



and as unlike a living bird as skin and feathers can be made, 

 it answers all the purpose. 



" When the Reeves begin to lay, both those and the Ruffs 

 are least shy, and so easily caught, that a fowler assured us 

 he could with certainty take every bird on the fen in the 

 season. The females continue this boldness, and their teme- 

 rity increases as they become broody ; on the contrary, we 

 found the males at that time could not be approached within 

 the distance of musket-shot, and consequently far beyond 

 the reach of small shot. 



" We were astonished to observe the property that these 

 fowlers have acquired, of distinguishing so small an object as 

 a Ruff at such an immense distance, which, amongst a 

 number of tufts or stumps, could not by us be distinguished 

 from one of those inequalities ; but their eyes had been in 

 long practice of looking for the one object. 



" The autumnal catching is usually about Michaelmas, at 

 which time few old males are taken ; from which an opinion 

 has been formed that they migrate before the females and 

 young. It is, however, more probable that the few which 

 are left after the spring fowling, like other polygamous birds, 

 keep in parties separate from the female and her brood till 

 the return of spring. That some old Ruffs are occasionally 

 taken in the autumnal fowling, we have the assertion of ex- 

 perienced fowlers ; but we must admit that others declare 

 none are taken at this season. It must, however, be recol- 

 lected, that in the autumn the characteristic long feathers 

 have been discharged, and consequently young and old 

 males have equally their plain dress ; but the person who 

 assured us that old male birds w r ere sometimes taken at that, 

 season, declared it was easy to distinguish them from the 

 young of that summer. 



" It does not appear to be the opinion of fowlers, that the 

 males are more than one season arriving at maturity, because 

 the Ruffs taken in the spring, destitute of the characteristic 

 long feathers, which constitutes their principal distinction, are 

 comparatively few to those possessing the ruff. The opinion, 

 therefore, that those ruffless males are birds of a very late 

 brood of the preceding season, is a reasonable conjecture. 



