THE RUFF AND THE REEVE 41 



seven dozen at the Duke of Devonshire's at Chats- 

 worth, continued his route across the kingdom to 

 Holyhead, and dehvered seventeen dozen aHve in 

 Dubhn, having lost only three dozen in so long a 

 journey, confined and greatly crowded as they were 

 in baskets, which were carried upon two horses." 



Nothing can more strongly evince the hardy 

 constitution of these birds than the performance of 

 such a journey so soon after capture, and neces- 

 sarily, fed with a food wholly new to them ; and 

 yet a certain degree of care and attention is requisite 

 to preserve, and more especially to fatten them ; for 

 out of the seventeen dozen delivered at the Castle 

 of Dublin, not more than two dozen were served up 

 to table, doubtless entirely owing to a want of 

 knowledge or attention of the feeder under whose 

 care they had been placed. 



The marsh people were not very easy to get 

 at when we lived on the flats ; they were far 

 worse in the time of the gentleman above quoted. 

 When the draining of the fens was first proposed, 

 the amphibious fen slodgers rose as one man against 

 the motion ; but it was no use, they had to go, as 

 well as their precious Ruffs, if they would find a 

 living. I have records by me stating that when 

 some " furrin settlers " made fresh banks, to keep 

 the water back, the fen folks broke them, and they 

 watched the breaches with loaded duck-guns to 

 prevent the new people from repairing them. These 

 matters belong to the past ; as draining continues, the 

 Ruffs will pass away from the remnants of the fens. 



