Bill an inch and a quarter long, slender, the point comi 
pressed, it varying from yellow to deep flesh colour ; eyes 
dark hazel ; cheeks, during the breeding season, covered 
with reddish yellow pimples, which disappear in the month 
of June, or early in July, and are replaced by feathers ; 
legs slender, generally of a bright sulphur colour, though 
sometimes of a dusky green. The young males and females 
differ so materially from the adult male bird, that we pur- 
pose giving figures of both, at some future period. 
A great peculiarity of manners and form is exhibited in 
the male of this species : early in the spring, very shortly 
after its arrival in this country, those beautiful feathers 
growing out of the neck, and forming an elegant rutf, (from 
which the species takes its English name) make their ap- 
pearance ; these are different in almost every bird, in some 
entirely white, or barred and spotted with dark brown, 
black, or purple ; others have these feathers of a deep ches- 
nut colour, either plain or barred ; so that they vary ad in- 
finitum : from the back of the head are two tufts of feathers, 
generally of the same colour as the ruff, which are erected 
or depressed at pleasure ; when the bird is irritated, which 
a very trivial circumstance will readily effect, all these fea- 
thers are erected, when the bird assumes a very grotesque 
appearance. 
Early in April the Ruffs arrive principally on the 
eastern coast of this kingdom, and are then extremely lean 
and feeble, but recover their flesh and strength in a few 
days; in a week or ten days after the males have arrived, 
the fLraales make their appearance; they do not arrive in 
numbers but individually, or at least it is supposed so, as 
they are found very sparingly and widely dispersed. In 
1816, we were so fortunate as to meet with several parties 
of both sexes, the latter end of April, near Spalding; and 
falling in with a person whose business was the capturing 
these birds for the purpose of fattening for the table, we 
accompanied him during a whole day in his occupation of 
Ruff-catching, which is practised much in the manner prac- 
tised bv bi^rd-catchers in general, but instead of the living 
V 
4 
