whenever any one ventured upon the spot taken possession . 
of by another bird a battle as regularly ensued. 
Previous to the arrival of the females the male birds re- 
sort to the places where they purpose taking up their resi- 
dence, commonly some little elevated spot just raised above 
the level of the surrounding marsh ; on this place, he is 
continually pacing about, often extending his feathers, not 
very unlike those uncouth gestures exhibited by the Turkey 
Cock ; and he is continually uttering a feeble inward kind 
of wail or ory, which is readily understood by the females, 
who immediately repair to the spots or hills possessed by 
the males, the consequence of this is a general battle, which 
is contested with obstinacy, and the victor has frequently 
to sustain these sorts of contests before his title to the female 
is acknowledged. These birds are polygamous ; but it ap- 
pears remarkable, the number of males seems to exceed that 
of the females two or three-fold. 
The food of the Ruff is principally worms, insects, and 
sluo's 1 it will, in default of other food, eat seeds and leaves 
of grass ; but in confinement, bread and milk is readily con- 
sumed ; when kept penned up tor the purpose of fattening^ 
their food is bread and milk, mixed with hemp-seed and 
sugar. 
The female deposits her eggs, four in number, on a few 
dry leaves or a tuft of grass ; she sits about twenty-one days, 
and the young run about shortly after they are excluded 
from the shell. These birds run with great speed, and fly, 
when disturbed, with considerable swiftness : after the 
breeding season is over they associate with Lapwings and 
Redshanks, to the latter they bear a strong resemblance 
when they have lost their ruff. The young do not attain 
their ruff and full plumage till the second year. 
The species is dispersed throughout various parts of the 
North of Europe, it is said even to Iceland ; but, in this 
country, is very local, being principally found in the fenny 
parts of Lincolnshire and Cambridge, also in some parts of 
Norfolk, Suffolk, Yorkshire, and Devonshire. 
