THE PEACOCK. 149 



Whole woods were covered with their beautiful plu- 

 mage, to which a rising sun imparted additional bril- 

 liancy. The small patches of plain among the long 

 grass, most of them cultivated, and with mustard 

 then in bloom, which induced the birds to feed, in- 

 creased the beauty of the scene ; and I speak with- 

 in bounds when I assert, that there could not be less 

 than twelve or fifteen hundred pea-fowls, of various 

 sizes, within sight of the spot where I stood for near 

 an hour. 



u When they are in -numbers scattered in a jungle, 

 it is easy to get a shot ; but I have always found 

 much difficulty when the birds flock together, as 

 they frequently do, to the amount of forty or fifty. 

 At such times it is not easy to raise them. They 

 run remarkably fast, and I doubt whether a heavy 

 spaniel or pointer could raise them. When on the 

 wing, they fly heavy and strong, generally within an 

 easy shot ; but if only winged, they speedily recover, 

 and, if not closely pursued, will nine times in ten 

 disappear. These plantations are their favourite 

 shelter, being close above, so as to keep off the solar 

 rays, and open at the bottom sufficiently to admit a 

 free passage for the air. If there be trees near such 

 spots, the peacock may be seen mounting into them 

 every evening towards dusk to roost, and in which 

 they generally continue till the sun rises, when they 

 descend to feed, and pass the midday in the heavy 

 covers. They are very jealous of all quadrupeds, 

 especially of dogs ; and when peacocks are discover- 



