. A history of British birds : the figures engraved on wood . 96 BRITISH BIRDS. OF THE SANDPIPER, The tongue is slender; toes divided, or very slightlyconne£led at the base by a membrane ; hinder toe weak ;their bills are nearly of the same form as those of the pre-ceding species, but shorter : their haunts and manner oflife are also very similar. Latham has enumerated thirty-seven species and nine varieties of this genus, seventeenof which are British, exclusive of those which in this workare placed among the Plovers ; but the history and classi-^fication of this genus are involved in much un
. A history of British birds : the figures engraved on wood . 96 BRITISH BIRDS. OF THE SANDPIPER, The tongue is slender; toes divided, or very slightlyconne£led at the base by a membrane ; hinder toe weak ;their bills are nearly of the same form as those of the pre-ceding species, but shorter : their haunts and manner oflife are also very similar. Latham has enumerated thirty-seven species and nine varieties of this genus, seventeenof which are British, exclusive of those which in this workare placed among the Plovers ; but the history and classi-^fication of this genus are involved in much THE RUFF. [Trlnga Pugnax, Lin.—Le Comhattant, Buff.) The male of this curious species is called the RuiF, andthe female the Reeve : they differ materially in their ex- BRITISH BIRDS. 97 t€rlor appearance ; and also what is remarkable in wildbirds, it very rarely happens that two Ruffs are alike inthe colours of their plumage.* The singular, wide-spread-ing, variegated tuft of feathers which, in the breedingseason, grows out of their necks, is different in all. Thistuft or ruff, a portion of which stands up like ears behindeach eye, is in some black, in others black and yellow,and in others again white, rust colour, or barred withglossy violet, black and white. They are, however, morenearly alike in other respedts : they measure about a footin length, and two in breadth, and when first taken,weigh about seven ounces and a half; the female seldomexceeds four. The bill is more than an inch long, blackat the tip, and reddish yellow towards the base ; theirides are hazel: the whole fac
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