THE RUFF 199 



A wounded bird of this sort will often strike 

 out to swim for safety, and though making no 

 great progress when depending only on its little 

 feet for paddles, it can make a great rate of 

 speed below the surface where with half-spread 

 wings it flies beneath the water. 



THE RUFF. (Male.) THE REEVE. (Fe- 

 male.) 



(Pavoncella pugnax.) 



This curious bird is a very rare straggler 

 from the Old World, where it makes its home 

 throughout the northern hemisphere. A large 

 proportion of the specimens of this species 

 which have been taken on the North American 

 continent have been found on the coast of New 

 England. As the name would indicate these 

 are fighters ; that is, they make great pretences 

 of fighting, but their quarrels seldom result in 

 any serious damage to either combatant. If 

 they had a business manager and a newspaper 

 puffer in their train we might easily find their 

 human imitator. 



The male in spring plumage is marked above 

 with chestnut, brown and black; rump blackish, 



