BUFF. 
191 
made of coarse grass, is placed on some hillock among the 
same, or sedge, or rashes. 
The eggs are subject to considerable variety; some are of 
a beautiful green ground colour, others olive brown, spotted 
with darker brown. They are four in number. 
The Huff, that is, the male bird, for the female, the Reeve, 
is not, like him, ‘varium et mutabile semper,’ is subject to 
greater varieties of plumage than any other British bird. 
Two specimens are rarely to be found alike—‘nil fuit unquam 
sic impar sibi.’ Buffo n says that Klein compared above a 
hundred together, and found only two that were similar. 
Weight, about six ounces—-to seven and upwards; length, 
one foot and half an inch. The bill is very firm and hard 
at the tip, but more flexible at the base; its colour varies 
from brown or yellowish brown to black; iris, dusky brown, 
behind it is a tuft of long erectable feathers. Head on the 
crown, glossy purple black, with chesnut bars; on each side 
is a tuft of elongated feathers, and the head is carunculated 
at the same time that the neck in front and on the sides is 
furnished in the way of a ruff or frill, with an accession of 
produced feathers, finely glossed, which reach their full length 
the middle or end of May: these are lost again after the 
season of incubation, beginning to fall even in June. They 
vary in an endless manner, no two being found exactly alike, 
and some differing most widely. The bird presents a totally 
different appearance with and without the ruff—‘alter at 
idem.’ Its appropriate colour is shining purple black, barred 
with chesnut, but white, yellow, and rufous shades also 
prevail. The breast above, next to the ruff, chesnut, the 
feathers tipped with black; on the lower part it is white; 
hack, pale chesnut, the feathers speckled and tipped with 
black. 
Greater wing coverts, nearly uniform grey brown; lesser 
wing coverts, pale chesnut brown, speckled and tipped with 
black; primaries, brownish black, the shafts white; some of 
the tertiaries are pale chesnut, tipped and speckled with 
black. Tail, greyish brown, the four middle feathers varied 
with chesnut and black; upper tail coverts, white; under tail 
coverts, white. Legs and toes, pale yellowish brown; claws, 
black. 
The female is about one third less than the male; length, 
ten inches and a half; bill, dark brown about the tip, paler 
at the base; iris, dusky brown. Head, crown, and neck, 
