RUFF. 115 



the sands, and seldom frequents the mud-flats, but prefers to feed in fresh 

 water, where it picks up worms, slugs, and insects of all kinds. 



After the male has lost his ruff he appears also to lose all interest in 

 his Reeves, and to take no part in the care of the family. The Reeve 

 alone builds the slight nest, incubates the eggs, and takes care of the 

 young. The nest is on the ground, in the middle of a swamp, where you 

 have to splash through the water amongst rushes, sedge, and coarse grass, 

 in the midst of a clump of which a depression is found, and roughly lined 

 with dead grass and sedge. The nest is very difficult to find, but the bird 

 sits close and reveals her treasures as she flies away. Both the Ruff and 

 the Reeve are very silent birds ; I have never heard them utter a note, but 

 on migration they are said to have a low call-note, like the ivick of the 

 Sanderling, Phalarope, and Little Stint. 



The eggs, in a full clutch always four in number, are somewhat similar 

 to those of the Great Snipe, indeed some are absolutely indistinguishable 

 from them ; but as a rule they are smaller and greener. The ground-colour 

 varies from an almost neutral pale grey to pale greenish grey ; the over- 

 lying spots are reddish brown, and the underlying spots pale greyish brown. 

 The spots are not quite so bold as those on the eggs of the Great Snipe, 

 but they are equal in size to those on most Sandpiper's eggs, and are 

 occasionally confluent at the large end. The eggs vary in length from 1-8 

 to 1*6 inch, and in breadth from 1"3 to 1"15 inch. 



In its winter-quarters the Ruft' is a very gregarious bird : Jerdon says 

 that these birds assemble in vast flocks in India during the cold season 

 and feed greedily on rice. In South Africa it is described as occurring 

 both in large and small flocks during our winter. In Natal, Ayres says 

 that the flocks feed on the mud-banks at low water, marine insects appear- 

 ing to be their favourite food ; but in Damara Land, Audersson says that 

 it is generally observed in the rainy season in small flocks of from three to 

 a dozen individuals, only one or two of which are males, and he adds that 

 it is rarely seen on the coast, being chiefly found inland, feeding on insects 

 and worms. 



There are an infinite number of variations in the colour of the plumage 

 of the male Ruff"; but these may be reduced to thirty-three typical ones, the 

 remainder being to all appearance intermediate forms or crosses. The 

 variation of colour is, however, very small, being confined to three typical 

 colours — white, chestnut, and black with metallic blue or green reflections. 

 The parts which vary in colour are — first, the ruff; second, the breast and 

 flanks ; and third, the ground-colour of the upper parts. Each of these 

 may be of either of the three colours named, except that the breast and 

 flanks do not appear ever to assume a white hue ; but the rufl' when black 

 may be barred with either white or chestnut. The parts that are nearly 

 constant in colour are: — the quills, lesser wing-coverts, and primary-coverts. 



