112 
FIGHTING RUFF. 
The young greatly resemble the females, but the 
colours on the fore part of the neck and on the breast 
are dull ashy-red : the feathers on the head, those of 
the back, the scapulars, and the greater wing-coverts 
are dusky-black, bordered deeply with red and yel- 
lowish : the lesser wing-coverts are edged with red- 
dish-white : the throat, belly, and vent, are pure 
white : the beak is black : the legs are greenish. 
The male only of this pugnacious bird is called 
the Ruff, the female being denominated the Reeve, 
The most remarkable circumstances attending the 
history of this species is its quarrelsome disposition ; 
which is said to arise from the number of males greatly 
exceeding that of the females, as upon their arrival 
in this country in the spring the males each fix upon 
a small hillock or dry grassy spot in the marshes, 
about which he runs around till he has almost trodden 
the space bare ; and the moment a female comes in 
sight, all the males within a certain distance com- 
mence a general battle, placing their beaks on the 
ground, spreading the feathers of the neck, and using 
the same action as a Cock ; and their combats are 
described as being both desperate and of long con- 
tinuance ; but at the end the female generally be- 
comes the prize of the victor. It is during these 
battles that the fowlers take the opportunity of seizing 
them, which they do in great numbers by means of 
clap-nets. An erroneous opinion prevails that the 
fattening of Ruffs, when in confinement, should take 
place in the dark, lest the admission of light should 
set them to fighting : the fact is, that every bird, 
even when kept in a room, takes its stand, as it 
