Ornithology of West Jutland. 34-3 



which the birds refuse to be driven away from their selected 

 '' hill " merits attention. Some of the actions of the Ruffs 

 while " at play " forcibly reminded me of the gambols of an 

 old Blackcock on a Northumbrian hill-side in the month of 

 April. In some specimens of these Ruffs the ruffs and ear- 

 tufts were almost pure white, in others cream-coloured, while 

 chestnut, black, grey, purple, and mixtures of these colours 

 were also common ; indeed, the variation seems to be infinite, 

 the breast and lower parts in some birds being alike highly 

 coloured. In only one instance did we observe a Ruff in 

 which the ruff and ear-tuft was so imperfectly developed as 

 to exhibit distinct signs of immaturity, but this bird was 

 killed amongst others developed in the highest degree. The 

 caruncles or warty formations on the face, as well as the 

 colour of the beak and legs, varied in individual specimens, 

 and, as a general rule, these parts assimilated to the colour of 

 the ruff itself; thus, in birds with ruffs cream-coloured or of a 

 light hue, the legs and bill were of a pale piuk or red, while 

 in those with dark ruffs the legs and bill were of a distinctly 

 deeper tinge. The caruncles, in like manner, varied from 

 pale lemon-yellow or brown to orange and red colours. 



Dunlins {Tringa ulpiria) were very common in these 

 marshes, and it was delightful to hear their " reeling ^' cry, 

 whence the Danish name of " Reuill.^^ We found plenty of 

 their nests, but, excepting the Redshank and Peewit, no other 

 Waders seemed as yet to be actually breeding. We observed 

 a pair or two of Green Sandpipers {Helodromas ochropus), and 

 watched them walking or creeping about amongst the reed- 

 stems, for in such situations we were able to approach quite 

 near to them, but when in the open they were wild. Of 

 Common Sandpipers {Tringoides hypoleucus) we noted a few, 

 but the Wood-Sandpiper [Totanus glareola) was by far the 

 most numerous. None of these Sandpipers, however, showed 

 any signs of breeding in these wet marshes. Common Snipes 

 {Gallinago ccelestis) were constantly "drumming'^ overhead, 

 and of the Great SnijDe [G. major) we observed a single pair; 

 but although the latter seemed to have located themselves 

 for breeding purposes, we were unable to ascertain that they 



