VOL. XIV.] SOME NOTES ON THE RUFF. 14i) 



which was oppressive and thundery and very dull, the birds 

 slept and were only intermittently active. 



When excited, the Ruffs' movements are extremely rapid. 

 They rush round with the regularity of a clockwork mouse. 

 When several are fighting together, they are an indistin- 

 guishable whirr and blurr of feathers. I exposed six dozen 

 plates in three days with only about ten satisfactory results, 

 the rest show nothing but a smudge. But most of my time 

 was spent in wondering what it all meant. They filled me 



RUFF AND REEVE. 



{Photographed by E. I-. Turner. 



with amazement. Why do they behave in this ridiculous 

 manner, and what is the meaning of their extraordinary 

 behaviour ? How did it originate, and what is the use of it ? 

 Viewed dispassionately, the entire get-up of a Ruff in nuptial 

 plumage is absurd in the extreme. But you cannot view 

 them dispassionately for long ; they arrest attention and 

 keep you on the qui vive ; for it is impossible to tell what the 

 next move will be. No photograph can begin to do justice 

 to the variety and wealth of colouring of the plumage. Many 

 of the tippets are very lovely. Rich chestnut and black, 



