regions of the interior it was to be found. throughout "the
year. In Asiatic Siberia the Ruff extends across, thè northern
portion duribg the breeding-season up to 75° Nh lat. ; hut
in thé south-eastern districts, and on the Amoor, it is rare,
or unrecorded; it has, however, been obtained in .the; island
off Yefco, Japan, but not” in China: visits* Asia Minor,
and Turkestan; crosses the Pamir, bn thefsteppes-* of which
Dr. Severtzoff fancies it breeds; visits the northern; provinces
of India in vast flocks during the winter; straggles, to Ceylon;
is tolerably abundant- on the muddy scores of Northern
Burmah ; and has recently phis", 1863', p / 86) been’recorded
from Labuan, in 'North-Easterri Borneo'.’ "
The Ruff has "heen; -known -to straggle ^Q^North America,
examples having been'-obtairied^in^irhe Sfcatesbof - Main||
Massachusetts,'New York, and Ohiorr Herr' A^von -P'ë’lzen
récords (Ibis, W75, p»i$8^ran abnormally coloured-spo^men,
with plumage in a much worn and abradedYonlitioapij obtained
in the district&tmeen thedJpp,ei^Rió Negïh®ifd thfi'Crinoco:
the only recorded occurrence; of this. Ruff in. the’ Neotropical
region.
The nest of thisrspeeifes is’placed in a'tussock,igenerally
in fthe wettest part .of a • swamp/ and*;the "ëggs taf eidhréd or
four in numbrefejnof a pale greeh.TOr',oliv^«ai^* blotèhedrand
spbtSed with/broWn if&fe averse meh'su'rements^aratfl^^by
1’2'in>' The 'ybuhf*tare somewhat lïlwsfebactive^&hfh,able, to.
take care of themselves ‘ thair thei’nestlihgs of m'©^t%F-the
waders. The natujafifëo^fef^therRuff «cbnsiits,largely of
insects ~ahd'their laivse,' and-worms0witk an^admMtuaes p
fine gravel; 1 butfMk? CÖtlett found thatch® thirds<^Ki'eh-. Ke
shot on the Jautumn passage -~'®eapf Christiania, ihad?J|pir
stom achs filled exclusively with ’'thé b£|'-a seashore
plant. "The note is ai&w'MaekpJMbk^lpae'k.. :
I THe Ruff,’m hreédingiplumnge,'from vdiiMtthfe*-6Hgf&ed
figure Waa taken, had” the beak drié inch'and a half’ indfehgth,
and brown ^liho^'irid^MlSyVbfow-nió the
of the ruff, ordtipf%%fi and the ^ shöteldéfisj^of ^rshining
purple black, transversely barred withjle|F@§fcnut yVscapüiaïS,
back^.’iè^ser , wing-Oovèrfs'r and’’some, of* "thectertials, Jpale
chestnut, , speckled and tipped with black-; -greater wing^
coverts nearly, uniform ash-brown; quill-feathers brownish.':
black, with whjte shafts ; rump and upper tail-eoferts white;
tail-feathers ash-brown, varied with; chestnut and black / the
feather's of the, breast,/ below .the-rruff, and on the sides, chest?
nut, tippedj with; blaek ;■ ’belly, vent, and under tailfAbverfcs-,
white* with an occasiohal'-spot of dark brown /-legs'sand .teas
palb yej'low.'brown; claws- bl&ck.
i^The whole length of rthe' male, is; abqut tWelye-inches and
a half. Wing, .from th e carpal;-fojht to the end of ;the first
quill-feather,' which is^ e> lo n g e g t,r six .inches, and. a half.
Thp-weight of a Ruff is, about, six ounce's, but - a Ruff^when
fitted, williweighfepp&nobs.
-Montagu says, “ The iong;i&thers on-fhejneek and sides
aflthe head, in the male, th a t:cen§tjhu|§ t^ei.rjuffdandauricles,
are o f.short ;dur atipn,jj for fhgy hre, scAre,e^?6oMpbdod iu th e
month of Mayjj$mdr;bggin 40 fall th l/la tte r fend of June; The
change of these; singpl-ar p$rjj2& is accompanied. by. .areomplete
4b>ange of- plumage; thq stronger colours, isueh, as purple,
chestnut/and some:o-thefs;, vanishatjibe game; time;, so>that
in ‘their winter,- d%ps4,> they-become m ore generally alike from-
bpng-'less varied in their p lum a g e b u ff we. observedi that
those who had the r n f f -m ^ e ^ ^ e or fesS white,^retained th a t
,d |o u t about the' neck;- affcgr-; the autumnal moulting* was
efected. We ’ noticed th a ti/in .. confinenientJ them' annual
changeB^/neyer v a rie d ie v e fy , spring produced th e -same
•■.Coloured ruff and other feathers.^ b u t tire .tuberoles e^Ah^d^co
ney erT<appe.are d. * ' A,-young in ale' that was taken destitute §f
a -guffj-in the b,reed-ing-Seaspn, wMo^f, plumage W$e’ mostly
cinerepus, e^p,ept about th e head- anfbn^cfe;pdt|on -the ruff gp
penfinement the., next,, spring Jm^theiftrst^time, which jvas
large, and the feathers were a-mixture of white end ch e ^ i
,nuff; the ,§eapuk$s- and ,bfe.a$t also, marked with che stnut;
and ip the aupcepding autumnal moulting, he re-assumed his
former qfneK|pn§ plumage.” ,
* IrfVorflWmation of this, Mr. A“:D. Bartlett assures the Editor that in bird,-
-which carefully marked, the original-cotoflr of the ruflf was always-re,r
jproduced the flaw in g spring, as prove.d' hy<a*scries of drawings by Mr. J .
VAT, TTT I 3 K