156 JUNGLE FOLK 



used to mark down the trees in which the pea-chicks 

 roosted, and return to the spot with a gun, after the 

 shades of night had fallen. Having shot a sleeping 

 bird I smuggled it into camp in order not to offend the 

 village folk. After having taken these precautions for 

 about two months I learned that the people entertained 

 no objection whatever to the birds being shot ! Pea- 

 fowl are objects of veneration in all the Native States 

 of Raj put ana. These are strongholds of orthodox 

 Hinduism. Nilgai, even, may not be shot, because 

 the Pundits, not being zoological experts, labour 

 under the delusion that these ungainly antelope are 

 kine. 



In some parts of India peafowl may be seen in a state 

 of semi-domestication and are regularly fed by temple 

 keepers. The drawback to the peacock as a domestic 

 bird is that he renders the night hideous by his cries, 

 which resemble those of an exceptionally lusty cat. 

 Blanford, I notice, called them '* sonorous." There is 

 no accounting for taste. In my opinion, peafowl should 

 be seen and not heard. 



The peacock, like the ostrich, is almost omnivorous ; 

 it feeds chiefly upon grain, buds, and shoots of grass, 

 but it is not averse to insects, and will devour many 

 of these, which are generally supposed to be inedible 

 and so warningly coloured. Lizards and snakes com- 

 plete a varied menu. 



The peafowl is a bird of considerable interest to the 

 zoologist, as it affords a striking example of sexual 

 dimorphism. In plain Enghsh, the cock differs greatly 

 from the hen in appearance. In some species, such 



