398 BIRDS OF SOMERSETSHIRE. 
own species that trespasses on their hill: this habit 
is well known to the fen-men in the counties where 
Ruffs abound, or rather perhaps did abound, and is 
ealled ‘‘hilling,” or “ going to hill:” the hills, being 
much trampled on, are easily found by the fen-men, 
who take advantage of this amiable propensity of 
“hilling” to trap the Ruffs by setting their clap-nets 
on the most used hills, and so catching the poor 
birds who come there for a quiet fight. 
The Ruff is easily kept in confinement, but does 
not appear to breed in that state, as Montagu, who 
kept some for a considerable time, says the only 
notice the males took of the females, or ‘‘ Reeves,” 
as they are called, was to drive them from their 
food. These Ruffs of Montagu’s were brought by 
him from Lincolnshire into Devonshire —a long 
journey in the old posting days: they were taken 
out of their baskets twice a day and penned into a 
corner of a room and fed, where they appeared to be 
as happy as eating and fighting could make them. 
Their love of fighting appears to be quite as great 
when in confinement as when in their wild state, for 
besides the travellers above mentioned, Montagu 
says that, when at Spalding, he was shown into a 
room where there were about seven dozen Ruffs, 
and that his intrusion drove some of these from 
their stands and compelled them to trespass on the 
premises of others, which produced many battles: 
he adds that these birds are so pugnacious that they 
