THE PEA--FOWL, 71 



their beautiful plumes, <and on one occasion 

 he saw twelve or fifteen hundred together, 

 feeding upon the bloom of mustard, cultivated 

 in patches, and which attracted them. He 

 states that when numbers are thus collected 

 in the jungle it is not easy to get a shot at 

 them, as they run extremely fast, and even a 

 dog can scarcely make them take wing. 



It is evident that the pea-fowl was do- 

 mesticated at a very early period, for as we 

 have previously observed, it was brought over 

 for Solomon, and, doubtless, constituted one 

 of the ornaments of his pleasure gardens. 

 It was introduced into ancient Greece at a 

 date far anterior to the time of Aristotle, who 

 speaks of it as being familiarly known, and 

 it is mentioned by Aristophanes. 



The Romans were well acquainted with this 

 gorgeous bird, the bird of Juno, as the poets 

 called it, feigning that with the eyes of Argos 

 she adorned its tail and thus bestudded it 

 with gems — " et gemmis caudam stellantihus 

 impiety 



The beauty of the peacock, however, did 

 not insure its safety ; numbers were killed to 

 swell the luxurious entertainments of the 

 wealthy, insomuch that one of the poets said, 



