TRiNaA. 



249 



Rah. — Tbronghout India and in frreat numbers during winter. Occurs 

 also in Beloochistan, Persia and Afghanistan. Breeds in Europe. During 

 spring on their return to the breeding grounds, generall}' the fens, 

 they become very pugnacious, the females being "causa terrima belli." 

 Being pol3'gamous, the Ruffs, on hearing the cry of a female, or 

 seeing one, immediately rouses itself, and begins a fight with 

 others ; their combats are described as being both desperate and long ; at 

 the end of the fight the female, it is said, becomes the mate or prize of 

 the victor. Buffon says — "they not only contend with each other 

 in a single rencountei', but they advance to combat in marshalled 

 ranks." " Their actions in fighting," according to Selby, " are very 

 similar to those of a game cock, with the head lowered, and the beak 

 held in a horizontal position ; the ruff and every feather distended, the 

 foi'mer sweeping the ground as a shield" ; and he adds "that in such 

 feuds their contests are often attended by fatal consequences." 



Gen. Tringa.— I^. 



Toes edged by membrane ; wings with the 1st quill longest; tarsi 

 rather short ; bill straight or slightly bent, obtuse at the extremity. 



Tringa Crassirostris, Te^n. et Schleg. Faun. Jap. p. 107, pi. xiv. ; 

 8tr. F. vol. i. p. 240 ; Murray, Hdbk., Zool., 8fc., Sind, p. 218. Tringa 

 tenuirostres, Horsf.; Gould. B. A. vi. pi. 33. 



The following is Mr. Hume's description of the species. 



"In the winter plumage the upper surface reminds one not a little of 

 that of Totanus stagnatilis. The whole lower parts are white, but the 

 base of the neck in front and the sides are marked with numerous 

 small brown striae, and the upper breast, besides having more or less of 

 these striations, is mottled with larger pale brown spots, here and 

 there interspersed with conspicuous heart-shaped blackish brown spots, 

 which are the first traces of the coming summer plumage. Lores, top, 

 back and sides of the head and neck very pale greyish brown, all the 

 feathers narrowly streaked along the shaft with dark brown ; the upper 

 back and whole mantle is a mixture of pale brown and ashy, most of 

 the feathers with blackish shafts, more or less darkly centred, and all 

 conspicuously, though narrowly, margined and tipped with white. 

 Lower back and rump brown, the feathers narrowly and regularly 

 margined with white ; upper tail-coverts similar, but the white margins 

 much broader, and the brown more or less obsolete on m.any of them. 

 Tail feathers greyish brown, greyer and somewhat darker on the 

 central ones, and paler and browner on the external ones ; all are ex- 

 cessively, narrowly, in fact almost obsoletely, bordered with white. 

 The primaries and their greater coverts are hair brown, most of the 

 latter tipped white ; the secondaries and their greater coverts are a pale 

 somewhat greyish brown, all of them narrowly, but the coverts less 

 nan'owly of the two, margined with white. The wing lining, except 

 just at the margin of the wing, which is mottled with brown, pure white ; 

 the axillaries white with traces of ii'regular, wavy pale brown bars. 

 There are a few elongated triangular pale brown dashes on the flanks, 

 and in some specimens one or two larger blackish brown spots pertain- 

 ing to the summer plumage." 

 32 z 



