THE PEACOCK. 281 



Turkeys do not seem to possess, either in their wild 

 or domesticated state, any very great degree of in- 

 stinct. They may, however, be ranked among the 

 most useful fowls of the farm yard; for, notwithstand- 

 ing the tenderness of their constitution when young, 

 they are hardy when grown up, and feed themselves 

 with little trouble or expense to the fanner. Some of 

 them, especially those of Norfolk, which are reckon- 

 ed the finest in this kingdom, frequently weigh from 

 twenty to thirty pounds, and constitute an excellent 

 article of food. 



THE PEACOCK, 



when its tail is expanded, exhibits a spectacle of 

 which no description can possibly give a just idea; to 

 form an accurate conception of the beauty of its ap- 

 pearance the living object must ho contemplated, 

 However, although the form of this bird be complete- 

 ly elegant, and its plumage adorned with the most 

 brilliant colours, as well as diversified with an endless 

 variety of tints and shades, its voice is extremely 

 harsh and disagreeable. Its insatiable gluttony also 

 Serves to counterbalance the only merit it can claim, 

 its incomparable beauty; and it is actuated more than 

 any other of the gallinaceous species by a spirit of 

 depredation. 



Like the rest of the poultry kind, the peacock 

 feeds chiefly on grain, and has a strong predilection 

 for barley. It eagerly seeks for insects and tender 

 plants, and if it does not find sufficient supply of its 

 favorite food, it will lay waste the labours of the gar- 

 dener, and destroy, in one day, the work of many 

 months. 



The peacock, or the peahen, has in some countries 

 been esteemed as an article of luxury for the table; 

 and although its flesh be not at this time considered 

 as a delicacy, it is certainly far from being disagree- 

 able, and is said to resist putrefaction longer than any 

 other animal. In the time of Francis I. king of 

 France, it was a custom to serve up a peacock at the 

 tables of the great, not for food but for ornament. 

 The skin was first carefully stripped oi\' } and the bo- 



