Chap. 22.] THE PEACOCK. 495 



the praetor ; in an instant he tore the bird to pieces, and before 

 long the omen was fulfilled. 69 



CHAP. 21. (19.) BIRDS WHICH HAYE HOOKED TALONS. 



Many birds of this kind feed also on acorns and fruit, but 

 only those which are not carnivorous, with the exception of 

 the kite ; though when it feeds on anything but flesh, it is a 

 bird of ill omen. 



The birds which have hooked talons are never gregarious ; 

 each one seeks its prey by itself. They nearly all of them 

 soar to a great height, with the exception of the birds of the 

 night, and more especially those of larger size. They all have 

 large wings, and a small body ; they walk with difficulty, and 

 rarely settle upon stones, being prevented from doing so by 

 the curved shape of their talons. 



CHAP. 22. (20.) THE PEACOCK. 



"We shall now speak of the second class of birds, which is 

 divided into two kinds ; those which give omens 70 by their note, 

 and those which afford presages by their flight. The varia- 

 tion of the note in the one, and the relative size in the other, 

 constitute the differences between them. These last, therefore, 

 shall be treated of first, and the peacock shall have precedence 

 of all the rest, as much for its singular beauty as its superior 

 instinct, and the vanity it displays. 



When it hears itself praised, this bird spreads out its gor- 

 geous colours, and especially if the sun happens to be shining 

 at the time, because then they are seen in all their radiance, 

 and to better advantage. At the same time, spreading out its 

 tail in the form of a shell, it throws the reflection upon the 

 other feathers, which shine all the more brilliantly when a 

 shadow is cast upon them ; then at another moment it will 

 contract all the eyes 71 depicted upon its feathers in a single 



69 Valerius Maximus, B. v. c. 6, says, that seventeen members of this 

 family fell at the battle of Cannae. 



70 " Oscines" and " alites." This was a distinction made by the 

 augurs, but otherwise of little utility, as all the birds with a note fly as 

 well. 



71 See the story of the eyes of Argus transferred to the peacock's tail. 

 Ovid, Met. B. i. 1. 616. 



