150 THE PEACOCK. 



ed on a tree situate on a plain, if a dog be loose and 

 hunt near it, the bird will rarely move from its situa- 

 iion, though it will probably shew extreme uneasi- 

 ness. 



" It will appear curious, but it is very certain," 

 continues the Colonel, " that peacocks have often 

 been hunted and run down by horsemen. The 

 wings of a peacock are by no means proportioned to 

 the weight of its body and limbs ; besides, they are 

 not accustomed to long flights, and are soon out of 

 wind. When a bird is discovered in a tree standing 

 in a plain, which is frequently the case when game 

 is abundant, a person mounted on a tolerably active 

 and governable horse, provided with a lash whip, 

 may, after keeping as near as possible during thp 

 first flight, and urging the bird, when it alights, to 

 its utmost exertion, so completely fatigue it, as to 

 find some opportunity for whipping, and perhaps 

 entangle the whip so as to obtain a complete com- 

 mand." The same has been noticed in the account 

 of the Wild Turkey ; but we should consider the 

 opportunities for practising such a chase very un- 

 common, and that the instances of escape will per- 

 haps exceed those of capture. 



Peacocks are frequently found entirely white. 

 This variety occurs, according to Temminck, in a 

 wild state as well as in domestication, and is not 

 caused, as was alleged by some, from being transport- 

 ed from a warm to a temperate and even cold cli- 

 mate. If, however, we may judge from the analogy 



