422 



The Living Animals of the World 



desiiam's bustard. 



lU'igent's Path. 



Ruff. The importance of this ex- 

 ception is still further increased by 

 the fact that the change in coloration 

 is accompanied by the development 

 of a large frill around the neck, 

 surmounted by two large tufts called 

 " ears," and fleshy, brightly coloured 

 warts around the beak. The coloured 

 picture of the male in its spring dress, 

 which will be found on another page, 

 gives an admirable idea of the typical 

 ruff, but it must necessarily fail to give 

 any indication of one very remark- 

 able fact concerning this frill and 

 the two '' ears,'' and for this reason — 

 no two individuals ever have these 

 peculiar feathers of the same colora- 

 tion and pattern. The range of colour 

 is certainly not great — the changes 

 being rung, so to speak, on black, 

 white, chestnut, bay, and ash-colour. 

 Diversification is gained by contrasting 

 the " ears " with the frill, and adding 

 bars or streaks to the light coloration, 

 and purple, green, and violet reflec- 

 tions to the dark. These ornaments 

 are donned in a surprisingly short 

 sjiace of time, and are discarded as quickly, for they are scarcely completed by the month 

 of Jlay, and are thrown ofT again at the end of June. During the time that this resplendent 

 livery is worn the males engage in mimic battles— which may occasionally develop into real 

 ones — arranged apparently for the edification of the females, which, it seems, select as partners, 

 at least for that season, those which please or excite most. This piower of pleasing must 



certainly be considerable, for 

 the ruff is a polygamous 

 species. 



Formerly the ruff was 

 a common bird in England, 

 but the drainage of the 

 fens and persecution have 

 practically brought about its 

 extermination. 



At least two groups of 

 plo\ers have succeeded in 

 reversing the usual order of 

 things in the matter of sexual 

 plumage. These are the 

 Phalaropes — which are 

 British birds — and the 

 Painted Snipe, in both of 

 which the female is more 

 brightly coloured and some- 

 what larger in size than the 



This species, when " showing off," f,lls the gnllet \Yith air, having no special air-sac 

 like the yreat bustard. 



Plwlr, hi/ W. F. PiggoH] 



GREAT BUSTARDS. 

 The cocli; on the right is ' ' showing off." 



[Lc'iglduii Biiiuu-il. 



