THE RUFF. 23] 



the ground/' at Douce mountain, county of Wicklow. Six ruffs, 

 brought to the metropolis for sale from the county of Kildare, 

 were taken in snares on the 13th of March, 1838 : they all 

 wanted the ruff, though ascertained by dissection to be males. 

 On the 5th of April that same season, six other males were brought 

 to the Dublin market. They do not appear here so often as 

 every year; — specimens obtained at the end of September 1840, 

 of October (two from Kildare) and November 1847 ; and in 

 September 1849, have come under my notice in collections. 



Mr. George Bowen mentioned to me in 1839, that ruffs had 

 been shot in the autumn of the two preceding years, near Bogay, 

 county of Donegal, where he had seen flocks of about twelve 

 birds : they were always tame, and occasionally associated with 

 other species. Two males (without ruffs) were obtained by Mr. 

 John Kinahan in August 1848, at Annagh (Tipperary), a few 

 miles from Birr. They formed part of a flock of six, which 

 accompanied lapwiugs while feeding on the flooded grounds. The 

 species had been seen there but once before, about two years pre- 

 viously, according to an old sportsman of the neighbourhood, 

 who on that occasion killed two from a flock such as that seen in 

 1848. 



In the autumn, ruffs have been killed about Belfast as follows. 

 — The first noted, on September 18, 1821. On the 26th August, 

 1822, one was shot among some dunlins, near Conswater, where 

 that river joins the bay ; its weight rather exceeded 3 oz., — five 

 more were seen at the same time. Either in that or the preced- 

 ing autumn, one was shot at a pool of water close to the town. 

 At the ' bog meadows/ less than two miles distant, a young bird 

 of the year, though of full adult size, fell to my own gun in 

 August 1828. These meadows were deeply inundated that year 

 when ready for the scythe ; and a vast flight of snipes, on their 

 southward migration, was tempted to alight and remain a few days. 

 When in pursuit of them I sprang the reeve, and saw but the 

 one ; next day, however, another was seen, and shot in the same 

 locality. On the 25th August, 1833, a young male bird, which 

 came into my possession, was shot at a river bounding the town ; 



