230 REMINISCENCES OF A SPORTSMAN. 



the individuals. In some these feathers are rufous, in 

 others grey, some white, some of a fine violet black, 

 broken with rufous spots. The white is most rare. In 

 its form too the tuft is as variable as the colour, during 

 the whole time of its growth. 



This beautiful ornament drops when these birds 

 moult, about the end of June, as if nature reserved the 

 decoration and armour for the season of love and of 

 war. After the time of incubation the long feathers 

 fall off, the caruncles shrink in under the skin, so as not 

 to be discerned, and their place is occupied by feathers ; 

 the males are no longer by their plumage to be distin- 

 guished, and both sexes ahandon the place where they 

 bred. 



The feathers that have an uniformity of colouring in 

 the ruff are the coverts of the wings, which are brown, 

 inclining to ash coloiu- ; the feathers on the breast, 

 which are often black or dusky ; the four exterior 

 feathers of the tail, which are of a cinereous brown ; and 

 the four middle ones, which are barred with black and 

 brown. The quills are dusky, the lower belly, vent, and 

 upper tail coverts, white. The length of the ruff is 

 one foot, breadth two feet, and it weighs, when taken, 

 about seven ounces and a-half. The bill is black towards 

 the end, and more than an inch long ; yellowish-red at 

 the base ; the irides are hazel ; the whole face covered 

 with numerous yellow or red pimples ; the legs in all 

 are yellow, or yellowish-red ; claws black. 



They do not recover the long neck feathers till after 

 their return to the fens the spring follomng ; it is then 

 they regain those characteristic feathers, and at the 

 same time the pear-shaped pimples break out in great 

 numbers on their face, above the bill. The stags or 



