THE RUFF. 



557 



PHILOMACHUS PUGNAX 



387. Philomachus pugnax (L.)— THE RUFF. 



Tringa Pugnax Linnaeus, Syst. Nat., ed. x, p. 148 (1758 — Europe. 



Restricted typical locality : South Sweden). 



Tringa Grenovicensis Latham, Gen. Synops. Suppl., p. 293 (1787 — ex t.c, 



p. 249, No. 38, Greenwich) 



Machetes pugnax (Linnaeus), Yarrell, in, p. 246; Saunders, p. 599; 



Hand-List. (1912), p. 172. 



Description. — Adult male and female. Winter. — Crown and nape 

 sandy-brown streaked darker ; mantle, scapulars, back, rump and 

 central upper tail-coverts pale sepia, feathers with dark shafts and 

 lighter edges, some- 

 times some feathers 

 with central shad- 

 ings of black-brown; 

 sides of back, rump 

 and lateral upper 

 tail - coverts white ; ear - coverts 

 and cheeks dusky- white, or sandy- 

 brown, spotted with ash-brown or 

 sepia ; feathers at base of upper 

 mandible and lores dusky -white 

 spotted sepia ; chin and throat 

 white ; lower -throat, sides of neck, 

 breast and sides of belly pale ash- 

 brown, feathers broadly edged 

 white, sometimes lower -throat and 

 sides of neck faintly spotted sepia ; 

 flanks white, some tinged ashy ; re- 

 maining under -parts white, under 

 primary - coverts with ash - brown 

 bases ; tail-feathers ash-brown, cen- 

 tral pairs sepia and usually with 

 sub -terminal band of black ; pri- 

 maries sepia, paler on inner webs, 



shading to white at base, with white or brownish shafts ; second- 

 aries pale sepia or ash -brown edged white, inner webs paler, shading 

 to white at base, innermost pale sepia with one or two irregular 

 black marks ; primary-coverts dark sepia, tipped white ; greater 

 coverts sepia (sometimes inner ones with subterminal black patch 

 on each web) and broadly tipped white ; median and lesser coverts 

 pale sepia with dark shafts and lighter edges and faintly tipped 

 white (sometimes lower scapulars, secondaries, greater, median and 

 lesser coverts have a slight greenish gloss). This plumage is acquired 

 by complete moult July to Dec. 



Adult male. Summer. — Most of the body -feat hers (not all and 

 sometimes none on back and rump, nor all scapulars), usually tail, 

 some innermost secondaries and coverts, some median and lesser 



The Ruff (Philomachus pugnax). 

 summer. 



Male adult, 



