Pea FoivL 277 



" Pea-Fowl run very fast, but the old 

 cocks, burthened with tails six feet in 

 length, are poor flyers, and I have fre- 

 quently seen my men running them down 

 during the hot hours of the day by forcing 

 them to take two or three long flights in 

 succession, in places where they could be 

 driven from one detached patch of jungle 

 to another. 



" The old cocks are in full plumage 

 from June to December, and then cast 

 their trains." 



It will be seen that Colonel Tickell and 

 Mr. Sanderson are not quite in agreement 

 regarding the time of the year in which 

 the train of the male bird is developed. 

 I am unable to decide which of the two 

 is right. 



The ordinary cry of the Peacock 

 resembles the words ^^ Pehau^ pehau^^'' and 

 can be heard a long distance. 



Pea-Fowl breed in India from June to 

 October, but a nest has been found in 

 Mysore as early as April. In Ceylon 

 they breed from January to April. The 

 nest is made in thick grass or amongst 

 dense bushes, and is merely a depression 

 in the ground scratched by the hen and 

 lined with a few leaves or a little grass. 

 In flooded parts of the country the 



