A female, which in -this spe c i f as well as in the Blacktailed
Godwit, is larger .than, dhej male,, measured sixteen
inches; theJength df*fhe beak','- tJetde**jrich$9 andtthjee.quarters
*, from the carpal joint fo dhe, end of the first quill-feather,
which’isvthe longest^^i^ht inches and a half. TJbe legs
I®, this species are much shorter-,proportion fot- thejsile, of
the birddhan those of the Black-tidied,; Gudwit, and, bftepipaf
another mark .of (distinction. In the female des<jjpbed; the
tarsus measured -but two inches .in-1 length,\and thejiLaked part
of the tibia above at- only on'Clnch.
• A male, apparently in „the perfept. plumage-, of summer,
killed ^during the isecpnd 'week, of May..h82h- ijfes the beak
nearly black, reddish brown at, the "bases 4r^ ^ s * dhs%?d>rown;
head and neck rich bay,.or-;chestnut je d j- ;^ foathbrndoutlie
forehead, top' df*'-the^he^:^and down theUback of ^theijUhfk;
streaked-longitudinally .with b 'k p k th e rspace the
base of the beak 'and eye,;.and dhertfeathers .forming .the
ear-coverts, - spotted with b l a c k u p p e r part ^-tho^ba’ck,
the shoulders, -lesser wingr'eover^and;|ertials,’ black, the. edges
of the feathers, of a pale reddish wood .’brown ; .greater wing-
coverts, as in winter, dark brown edged; with greyish whiter
primary quill-feathers''almost, black, those -nearest, fhe, secon-
-daries finged with dusky brown on the inn^r^bbl^and^ed^'ed
Jwft w h i t e Alof'er part of the! haek white, .with a few,; small
feathers df a-dark eolour intermixed:; upper tail-coverts barred
with black, on a ground colour of pale reddish ,’brown ; tail-
feathers neark^as in winter, but the white is,_.tinged with bay;;
neck in te n t, breast, "belly, vent, and tail-cov.erts, nearly uniform
rich bay, with a few. dark streaks befdre.the carpal joint
of the wing ; fogs, toes* and claws, nearly black.
Young birds of. the. year have the plumage, of the upper
surface of the body, somewhat like .that of old birds in winter;
the neck and breast reddish ash colour; the belly white.,
&RÄLLATORES. SCOLOPACIDÆ.
T H E R U F F .
Tringa pugnax. The Ruff,
Machetes ‘ w * •
Tringa f ,,
Machetes pugnax
Pénn. Brit. Zool. vol. ii. p. 71.
M ont. Diet.
B ewick, Brit. Birds, vql. ii. p. 79.
Elem. Brit. An. p. 110.
Selby, Brit. Ornith. vol. ii. p. 130.
J en y ns, Brit. Vert. p. 207.
G ould, Birds of Europe, pt. x.