376 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



fighting, or the capacity to fight, has done nothing for him — he 

 has had to wait until chosen. Nor can he have been chosen as 

 the most vigorous bird, for not only is he not specially dis- 

 tinguished in this way, but, as the Reeves have not, hitherto, 

 come much into his neighbourhood, he has had no particular 

 opportunity of showing such extra vigour, did he possess it. 

 Why, then, has he been chosen ? All I can say is that he is a 

 handsome bird, but this he has been all the time. But without 

 a doubt, as it appears to me, and whatever the motive, on each 

 occasion, may be, it is the Eeeves who choose the Ruffs, and to 

 them, and not to the latter, belongeth power. The very fact 

 that the Ruffs have places where they stand and wait till the 

 Reeves come to them — for a few dartings about over the course 

 do not nullify this general truth — that they do not leave their 

 end of the ground, when the Reeves are not there, and establish 

 themselves at the other end, where they are, is almost, of itself, 

 proof of this. The whole scene and course of events would be 

 different if it was a mere matter of the hardest-fighting birds 

 getting the greatest number of Reeves, and of the Reeves being 

 won in this way. But, as far I can see, things could not proceed 

 on this rude principle. It would be a mere chaos, hardly to be 

 settled. Nature has worked it out much better. The Reeve, 

 most undoubtedly, both has and habitually exercises the capacity 

 of choosing, and her presence and personality affect the Ruffs 

 in such a manner that her choice is generally respected. Even 

 if, on any occasion, it is not, she has only to wait for another 

 opportunity, nor can she ever, I believe, be made by force to act 

 against her will. If unduly pressed or annoyed she can always, 

 and often does, fly away. She is supreme, in fact, on the 

 pairing-ground, but the position of the Ruffs is a far less satis- 

 factory one. They have to await her good pleasure, and if the 

 majority do not wait for it altogether in vain, as seems probable, 

 they must do so, at any rate, judging by what I have seen, for a 

 very considerable time. 



I have now found the second Ruff pairing-ground, or, if the 

 smaller place that looked like one be really so, the third. Of its 

 existence I have been convinced for some time, but, hidden 

 always in my dark observatory, it is only on this last day that I 

 have had time to do anything outside it. However, here it is, 



