RUFF 107 



northern temperate zone throughout Europe and Asia, migrating in 

 winter to Africa and southern Asia, where they are, however, rare to 

 the south and eastward of the northern districts of India. Iceland 

 apparently marks the extreme northern range of the species, but it 

 does not breed there, although it nests in Lapland and Scandinavia, 

 and to the southward in Holland and the north of France. 



The species is the only representative of the genus Pavoncella, 

 which would not be worthy of separation from Totamis were it not 

 for the circumstance that the cock, or ruff, is a considerably larger 

 bird than the reeve, or hen, and assumes by the commencement of the 

 breeding-season in May an individually variable plumage accompanied 

 by the development of the striking ruff of elongated feathers around 

 the neck from which it takes its name. Another peculiarity is the 

 polygamous habit of the ruff; a feature in which it differs altogether 

 from other waders and resembles the game-birds, as it does in its 

 fighting propensities. 



In the breeding-season the feathers at the base of the beak are 

 replaced by bare, pimply skin, while the long tufts which are then 

 developed from the sides of the head of the male vary in colour from 

 rufous, chestnut, and buff, to black and white ; the black being generally 

 shot with purple or green reflections. The frill or ruff surrounding 

 the neck — which can be raised or depressed at pleasure — cannot be 

 exactly described, owing to the innumerable variations which it presents. 

 Two main types are, however, recognisable, in one of which it is of a 

 uniform tint — white, black, chestnut, or buff, and in the other barred. 

 In the latter, which presents the same ground-colour as in the uniform 

 types, it may be barred or spotted with rufous, chestnut, buff, black, 

 or grey. The colouring of the back and breast is also variable, 

 although conforming generally to that of the cock ; when the "ruff" is 

 grey barred with black, this pattern predominates for instance on the 

 back, while when the former is rufous, white, or black, the same is the 

 case on the back and breast, although black feathers with paler edges 

 are commonly intermixed with the plumage peculiar to each individual. 

 The breast- feathers at this time are generally more or less black, but 

 with these more or fewer white or buff-coloured ones are mixed : the 

 abdomen, however, is invariably white and the legs are yellow. In 

 winter the feathers of the back are brown with darker middles and 

 paler edges, the head and sides of the face streaked with brown on a 

 huffish white ground, and the breast white. The hens in summer 

 have the back-feathers black with pale huffish white margins, the 

 wings brown, the crowm streaked with black, and the breast black 



