l82 



British Birds. 



This is one of the most curious of all Wading Birds, for no 



THE RUFF. ^^^_^ males are exacth' alike. On the sides of the crown is a kind 



[PavonccUatugnax.) ^j- ^.^jy ^j. ^^^^^^^ ^^.^jig ^^ t,-,e breast is a large shield of plumes, 



and these may be of any colour or pattern, plain white or black, or barred with 

 white, rufous, black, or cream-colour, in never ending variety. The female and the 

 male in winter plumage, as well as the young birds, look like any ordinary Tattler. 



The male is much larger than the 

 female, which is known as the 

 ' Reeve.' There is no white on the 

 quills, but the axillaries are white, 

 so that the bird in winter plumage 

 can be easil}' recognised. 



The Ruff used formerly to breed in 

 our fen-lands, but is now only an oc- 

 casional visitor. It nests in favoured 

 localities in Northern Europe and Si- 

 beria, and can still be seen breeding in 

 the marsh-lands of Northern France, 

 Holland and Denmark. The head- 

 dress and the pectoral frill are orna- 

 ments donned for the breeding-season, and the males fight for the possession 

 of the females. The nest is a depression in a tuft of long grass, and the eggs, 

 alwavs well-concealed, are four in number. oli\e or clay-coloured, with streaks or 

 blotches of rufous brown or black, with underl_\-ing markings of purplish-grey. The 

 length is from about an inch-and-a-half to an inch-and-three-quarters. 



The Ruff. 



Bartram's Tattler. 



The Buff-hreastkii Sandpiper. 



In the genus ISnrtiaiiiiu the bill is short and not 

 B.^RTR.VM'S tattler. ^^ ,^^g ^g j^^ j^j,^ j,^g l^jjgj. being graduated, and the 



outer feathers much shorter than the middle ones. 1 he 

 general colour of the bird is tawny, mottled or barred with black. It is a North 



