RUFF

in dresswear, crimped or pleated collar or frill, usually wide and full, worn in Europe, especially from the mid-16th century into the 17th century, by both men and women. The beginnings of the ruff can be seen in the early years of the 16th century, when men allowed the top of the shirt to be exposed. A drawstring through the top, when pulled tight, created an incipient ruff. The ruff increased in size, becoming a symbol of the aristocracy. Women wanted to show their status in society and also wished to expose the bosom, so the ruff developed as a half circleopen in front and rising in back. The ruff was at first worn with a supporting wire frame and was later starched. Usually, it was white. By the end of the 16th century, the ruff was generally replaced by other types of collars. Once again, in the early 19th century, a modified ruff became fashionable for women's daytime wear. in zoology, Old World bird (Philomachus pugnax), of the sandpiper subfamily Calidritinae (family Scolopacidae) remarkable for its courtship plumage and behaviour. The name ruff applies to the species or may be applied to the male only. In spring the 30-centimetre (12-inch) male acquires a double crest (cape) and a collar (ruff); these may contain reddish, brown, black, and white feathers in proportions that vary with the individual (the most extreme case of polymorphism known among birds). The female, called the reeve, is only about 25 centimetres (10 inches) long and is plain grayish brown, as is the male in winter. In the breeding season males gather on a traditional display area (lek), usually a bare hill, and, while the reeves watch, display close together by making short rushes with cape and ruff erect and wings drooping. When a reeve strolls into their midst the males collapse, quivering, with bills stuck into the ground. Then the female chooses one of the males. She builds a nest, incubates the eggs, and raises the chicks alone. The sexes keep apart, even in flocks (further evidence of the extreme dimorphism of the species). The ruff breeds in river meadows and coastal marshes from northern Europe to Siberia. It is decreasing in population because of cultivation. It winters on broad mud flats from the North Sea to southern Africa and parts of southern Asia, and it has been recorded with increasing frequency in North America.