RUNNER-SADDLE-BACK 801 



every feather on his body standing up and quivering ; but he seems as if 

 he were afraid of coming too near his mistress. If she flies off, he starts 

 up in an instant to arrive before her at the next place of alighting, and 

 all his actions are full of life and spirit. But none of his spirit is 

 expended in care for his family. He never comes to see after an enemy. 

 In the [Lapland] marshes, a Keeve now and then flies near with a 

 scarcely audible ka-ka-kuk ; but she seems a dull bird, and makes no 

 noisy attack on an invader." 



Want of space forbids a fuller account of this extremely inter- 

 esting species. Its breeding-grounds extend from Great Britain l 

 across northern Europe and Asia; but the birds become less 

 numerous towards the east. They winter in India, reaching even 

 Ceylon, and Africa as far as the Cape of Good Hope. The Ruff 

 also occasionally visits Iceland, and there are several well-authen- 

 ticated records of its occurrence on the eastern coast of the United 

 States, while an example is stated (Ibis, 1875, p. 332) to have been 

 received from the northern part of South America, 



RUNNER, a local name for the Water-RAiL (p. 763). 



s 



SACRUM, see SKELETON. 



SADDLE-BACK, in Britain and North America, a local name 

 for the adult of either of the Black-backed GULLS, Larus marinus and 

 fuscus ; but in New Zealand applied to Creadion, a genus founded in 

 1816 by Vieillot (Analyse, p. 34) of which the Sturnus carunculatus 

 of Gmelin, based on the 

 Wattled Stare of Latham 

 (Gen. Synops. iii. p. 9, pi. 

 36) is usually considered 

 the type. 2 Its real affinity 

 must be regarded as doubt- 

 ful ; for, like several other 

 forms of the New-Zealand ^^ 



Region, it does not enter 



readily into any of the recognized Families of Birds, and thus has 

 been placed among the Stumidse or Cwvida, while it very possibly 



1 In England of late years it has been known to breed only in one locality, 

 the name or situation of which it is not desirable to publish. 



2 This is not to be confounded with the Anthoch&ra carunculata, which has 

 also been called Creadion carunculatus (Vieillot, Encycl Method, ii. p. 874) and 

 is a HONEY-SUCKER. 



