RUFF— REDSHANK m 



ter dress this bird is grey above and white below, but 

 during the summer months the feathers of the upper 

 parts have dark brown or black centres, edged or spot- 

 ted with rufous, while the face, neck and upper part 

 of the breast are a pale chestnut, spotted with dark 

 brown. This little bird breeds in the far north, but 

 at other times is found along the beaches in almost 

 every part of the world. See Plate 32, Fig, 188. 



In many ways the most remarkable of the Plover 

 tribe is the Ruff, sometimes called the Fighting Sand- 

 piper, a bird that is widely distributed in the Old 

 World, though but rarely seen in America. The male 

 takes its name from a wonderful frill of feathers about 

 the neck, bearing a fancied resemblance to the Eliza- 

 bethan ruff. The female is called a Reeve, but for 

 what reason is not known. The colouration of the ruff 

 varies in every individual. As if still further to 

 heighten the effect of this ornament, the head is 

 adorned with broad ear-tufts, while around the beak 

 are brilliantly coloured, fleshy tubercles. In the illus- 

 tration the ruff is black and the ear-tufts dark brown, 

 but ruffs of white, buff and chestnut also occur, and 

 they may be plain, banded, spotted or streaked with 

 darker colours. In the autumn the various ornaments 

 are discarded, and the male is distinguished from the 

 female only by its larger size. These ruffs are made 

 to play an important part during the courting season, 

 for at this time their wearers meet together daily for 

 the purpose of sparring with each other and fighting 

 mimic battles. When a Ruff is in the presence of a 

 Reeve he behaves very strangely, thrusting his beak 



