306 OUTDOOR LIFE IN ENGLAND 



is of an ash-brown above and grayish-white in 

 the under parts ; the vent white, the belly barred 

 with blackish-brown. In summer this colouring 

 changes to a reddish-fawn on the head, neck, and 

 breast, the belly white and barred with blackish- 

 brown. The bills of both varieties are remarkably 

 long, and are perfectly straight ; the females are 

 larger than the males. The tail of this bird is 

 black, and serves to distinguish it very readily 

 from the bar-tailed godwit. Both birds frequent 

 much the same localities as the preceding 

 varieties of this genus. The black-tailed god- 

 wit is, however, by far the less common of the 

 two. 



Time was when the ruff and his wife, the reeve, 

 were plentiful in this country, and numbers of them 

 were annually exposed for sale in our poultry 

 markets. Unfortunately, they were so esteemed 

 for table purposes, and their numbers have been 

 so terribly reduced, that nowadays this bird 

 is regarded as a rarity ; indeed, it may be said 

 that none remain to breed in Britain, and the 

 few which are annually noticed are no more than 

 visitors on migration from the spring to the autumn. 

 It is sad to reflect upon the long list of birds, 

 formerly so plentiful, which are now rapidly be- 

 coming extinct in this country, owing to the greed 

 of the gourmand or the collector ; and of all these, 

 surely none is more interesting than the ruff. The 

 pugnacity of the ruff is proverbial. It has been 

 stated that so continuous and fierce were the 



