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Birds. 
The female is called a Reeve, and its flesh is thought a 
great delicacy for the table. They are smaller than the 
cocks, and their feathers undergo no change. The Ruff 
and Keeve are taken in nets. They used to be seen 
in vast numbers in many parts of England, especially in 
the Isle of Ely and the Lincolnshire fens. The improve- 
ments in drainage and cultivation that have been made 
during the present century have deprived these birds of 
their accustomed haunts, and they are no longer common . 
A writer of the last century said he had seen the ground 
so covered with the nests and eggs of Plovers and Reeves 
that " one could scarce take a step without stepping on 
them." They are now most common on the shores of 
southern Scotland and of Northumberland. 
Reeves are fattened for the table by feeding them on 
boiled rice or wheat, bread and milk, hemp seed, &c. 
They are obliged to be kept in a dark room during the 
process, as the least gleam of light is the signal for a 
furious battle. 
