MACHETES 781 



p. 885 ; (Blanf.), F. Brit. Ind. Birds, iv. p. 268 ; (Eiclgway), p. 168 ; 

 Sannders, p. 601 ; Liiford, v. p. 122, pis. 53, 54 ; Poynting, p. 179, 

 pi. 38. 



Combattant, Paon de Mar, French; Combatiente, Span.; 

 Crambetta, Ital. ; Kampfhahn, German; Kamphaan, Dutch; 

 Brushane, Dan., Norweg., and Swed. ; Suokukko, SuoJmlainen, 

 Finn.; Twoukhtann, Dratschounn, Russ.; Habib-el-tchibib,'"M.ooT.; 

 G-eh-wala, Hindu. 



<$ ad. (N. Russia). Upper parts generally brown, varied with, black, 

 warm buff and chestnut ochreous ; sides of rump nearly v/hite ; tail ashy 

 brown varied with black and chestnut-red ; quills blackish brown ; wing- 

 coverts ashy brown ; feathers on the sides of neck and round the breast 

 elongated, forming a conspicuous ruff or cape, white tinged with cream- 

 buff ; breast below the ruff and upper flanks glossy blackish marked with 

 white ; rest of under parts white, the under tail-coverts slightly marked 

 with black ; face covered with warty yellowish tubercles ; bill blackish 

 brown, fleshy at the base ; legs yellowish brown ; iris blackish brown. 

 Culmen T68, wing 7'1, tail 27, tarsus 2'05 inch. The ruff varies ex- 

 tremely in colour and markings, scarcely any two birds, except those that 

 have it uniform black or white, are alike. The female has the crown, nape, 

 and upper parts sandy brown marked with blackish brown ; wings and 

 tail as in the male ; chin whitish ; throat, breast, and upper flanks ashy 

 brownish marked with darker brown ; rest of under parts white ; no sign 

 of a ruff. In winter the male also lacks the ruff and tubercles on the 

 face, and has the throat and neck as in the female. 



. Hob. Europe generally, breeding from the North Cape down 

 to Denmark, and rarely in Eastern England ; in winter it passes 

 as far south as the Cape of Good Hope ; in Asia it is found as far . 

 north as Kamchatka, south to India, Ceylon, and Borneo ; rarer 

 in the east, but found as far as Japan ; of occasional occurrence 

 in Eastern North America. 



Frequents damp marshy localities. The Ruff is a silent bird, 

 but in the spring and during migration the note, a low kaek, 

 kaek, kick, kack, may be heard. The Ruff is polygamous, and in 

 the spring the males assemble, or as it is termed " hill," and 

 fight, or rather spar, for the possession of the females or Reeves, 

 which alone undertake the cares of incubation. The nest 

 is on the ground, well hidden, and the eggs, usually 4, but 

 sometimes only 3, in number, are generally laid in May, 

 and are pale olivaceous or stone-buff in ground-colour, richly 

 blotched and marked, chiefly at the larger end, with umber- 

 brown, and a few purplish grey shell spots, and measure about 

 1-69 by 1-22. 



