SEXUAL SELECTION IN BIRDS. 179 



which I have been able to distinguish. Yet, as said before, 

 I have only seen eight undoubted Eeeves at one time on the 

 ground. If, then, they are true to one Ruff, and if four belong 

 to the brown one, and two, as a minimum, to the blue, this leaves 

 but two for all the rest. But even if promiscuous in their habits, 

 yet I have only seen two other Ruffs — or, at most, three — besides 

 the brown and blue ones, pair. Yet I have counted twenty-two, 

 and already the pairing seems to be on the wane.* What, then, 

 is to be made of this ? 



April 29th. — Overpowering weariness in the morning and 

 headache for the rest of the day made me miss this date. I got 

 down, however, by about 7 p.m. to arrange grass in my hole, 

 and put up three or four Ruffs, amongst them those two in- 

 evitable old clubbites, the brown bird and the blue — no Reeves. 

 Is it not a noteworthy thing that these two, who are almost 

 always at home, are just the two who, with a very few exceptions, 

 as far as I have yet been able to observe, have had it almost all 

 their own way with the Reeves ? 



April 30th. — Going to bed, boots and all, I was up and dressed 

 before 2.30, and on the spot by 3. I walked over the pairing- 

 ground, but neither saw nor heard any Ruff go up. Yet at 

 3.20, without my noticing it, whilst I arranged my camera 

 obscura, a number — indeed, almost the whole number — were 

 there. Thus it seems evident that Ruffs, in the breeding-time, 

 feed during the night, and fly in to their haunt in the very early 

 morning, so punctually that they get there almost all together. 

 They may, however, feed together. There was a great deal of 

 fighting in the darkness, and once three Ruffs, like three little 

 storm-clouds that had rushed together, fought a triangular duel. 

 Whether this fighting was all about the Reeves I do not know, 

 but I suppose it was chiefly, for there were two or more there — 

 how many I cannot say— and, very early, others flew in, till, as 

 it lightened slowly — the night fading, as it were, into day — it 

 became apparent that they were numerous, and also — though 

 how long it had been taking place I cannot say — that pairing 

 was proceeding in a very spirited manner — more so than has yet 

 been the case. The scene, in fact, was a quite bacchanalian 

 one. Darting about, fighting and scrimmaging, the Ruffs again 



* This, however, was a little premature. 



p2 



