FIGHTING RUFF. 
Ill 
face naked, and covered with warts ; his occiput 
adorned with long feathers, and his throat with a large 
frill composed of beautiful feathers : these feathers, 
and those on the occiput, are usually contrasted with 
the colours of the rest of the plumage, which is 
generally varied with red, ash-colour, black, brown, 
white, and yellow : the frill and occipital feathers are 
also subject to infinite variations of colour : the beak 
is orange-yellow : the warts on the face are yellow or 
reddish ; and the feathers of the frill vary in length 
according to the age of the bird. The female is 
smaller, and is destitute of the long plumose feathers 
on the occiput and throat : the upper parts of the 
body are brown-ash, varied with several black fea- 
thers glistening with a steel lustre : the throat and 
breast the same, but brighter : the belly and vent 
white : the beak black : the legs yellowish or greenish. 
The autumnal and winter plumage is as follows : the 
face becomes clothed with feathers, and the male has 
those of the neck and throat short : the throat, fore 
part of the neck, belly, and the rest of the under parts 
of the body are pure white : the breast is reddish, 
spotted with brown : the plumage of the upper parts 
is most commonly brown, varied with black spots and 
edged with reddish : the longer wing-coverts, the 
quills, and the two middle tail-feathers are rayed with 
brown, black, and red : the beak is brownish : the legs 
are yellowish, tinged with greenish-brown or reddish : 
the irides are brown. The female at these periods is 
about one-third less, her plumage is more cinereous, 
and the fore part of the neck is rarely pure white : 
the beak is black, and the legs very dark. 
