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A PUGNACIOUS BIRD. 
perfect beau. In Yarrell's ^ British Birds ' we liave 
them to perfection, both in one picture ; he on a bank, 
elevated considerably above his more plainly attired part- 
ner, with the ruff, from which he takes his name, fully 
displayed, and she beneath, with her slender neck and 
legs, and long bill and bright eye, looking the very per- 
fection of neatness, and lightness, and self-possession. 
Beautifully mottled is the plumage of both, reddish brown 
of various shades, varying from light to black, with the 
under parts delicate grey, passing into white, and the feet 
greenish yellow — a pretty bird truly ; and her lord and 
master, with his enormous rulf, which varies in colour in 
different individuals, has in summer a number of fleshy 
tubercles about his face, which give him somewhat the 
appearance of a hon vivant. He is fiery-eyed, too, and 
REEVE. 
looks as pugnacious a fellow as he is, hence his specific 
name pugnax. He is about twelve inches long, or nine 
inches without the tail, and can spread his wings over two 
feet ; he has a bill nearly an inch and a half long, and 
although once a permanent resident in this country, now 
only comes as a visitor ; that is, as a rule, a few individuals 
may, perhaps, remain with us through the year. He 
