11 M; ITS of TllK PKACOCh'. 



th.-.-nd ..f Mai.-h. \Oi.-n ill.- rom i- -1:111. liiu. ;n. ivinarkablj uii. \ Md t--n I. i \Vli.-n ill. 

 dry season come-, on, ih.-\ feed on the * -Is ami inserts. :m>l lli.-ir tlesh U-com.-s dry 



Olid lllUscill 



Peacock -1 loot i n -. although an exciting -i>"i t. i- a dangerous ,,i\<-. tin- ii^.-i feeling him- 

 -lf stiji.-d l>\ ili>- ihur and i.ilin- xeiretation in \\hidi 1 1n* Peacock delights, so that on inex- 

 liericnced siM.rtsmaii m:i\ suddenly find himself f a .-.- i<> far.- \\ith a tiger, and run a strong 



rh.ilir.. of U'illg himself I!:.- ol.j.-Cl l)f pursuit, OU Blinters, however, wild kll-.u l!|.- |ml)if 



of the IVacock, liml iliat l>ml <-\tremely useful in denoting tin presence of tigers. When the 

 Peacock finds itself in I"-- proximity to a tiger, or even a wild cat. it raise* the sound .f 

 alarm, which is a loud hoarse cr\. answered by those within hearing. The l>ird then utti-nia 



series of -halp .|>ii. U -i:ilin_ IP. I--, .ili.l _. !- !n_!i.-l Hi'., !i|. M-.-.- BO as to l- ..tit ,,! i. .,. ii ..! 



the tiger'> > -la s. 



The Peaco-k i> \>-r\ li- ! very common, and forms a magnitin-nt adjunct to the lawn, 

 the park, the garden, ami tli- farm-yard. Tli- .-\id.-nt adniinition and .self-oonariousneai* witli 

 which a Peacock regards himself are truly aiuusinir, tlu> bird always looking out for spectator** 

 before it spreads its train, and turning itself round and round HO aa to display its beauties 

 to the best advantage. At night it always roosts in some elevated spot ; uad invariably 

 sits \sith its li.-ad farini; the wind. Several Peacocks, which I used to see daily, always 

 roosted upon the thatch of a corn-rick, their long trains lying along the thatch so closely 

 that towards dark they could hardly be seen. In character, the Peacock is as variable as 

 other creatures, some individuals being mild and good-tempered, while others are morose and 

 jealous to the extreme. 



One of these birds, living in the north of Ireland, was a curious mixture of cruelty and 

 fun. He had four wives, but he killed them all successively by ]x-<-king them to death, for 

 what cause no one could find out. Even its own children shared the same fate, until its ownn 

 I >ut the Pea-fowl eggs under a sitting hen, and forced her to hatch the eggs and tend the 

 young far out of his sight. 



Hi- -r.-:it aiiiu-M-ni.-nt \va- to fri-ht- n tli.- ddflfaM, T!I.-I.- MM tWO ir-.n trough- in \\lii.-h 

 the food for the chickens was placed daily, and to which they always resorted as soon as their 

 food was poured into their troughs. No sooner had they all assembled than the Peacock 

 would erect his train, rattle his quills together with that peculiar rustling sound that is so 

 characteristic of these birds, and march slowly towards tin- chickens. The poor little birds 

 would slowly back away from the trough as the Peacock advanced, not liking to Jose sight 

 of their food, and not daring to remain in defiance of their jtersecutor. By degrees he got 

 them all into a corner, crouching together and trembling, when he would overshadow them 

 with his train, place the ends of the feathers against the wall so as to cover them completely, 

 rattle the quills heartily so as to frighten th> m \tr.-m.-l\. and then would walk off, looking 

 quite exultant at the trick he had just played. He did not care for eating their food, but left 

 the trough untouched. 



The train of the male Peacock, although popularly called its tail, is in reality composed 

 of the upper tail-coverts, which are enormously lengthened, and finished at their extremities 

 with broad rounded webs, or with spear-shaped ends. The shafts of these feathers are almost 

 bare of web for some fourteen or fifteen inches of t heir length, and then throw out a number 

 <>f long loose vanes of a light coppery -green. These are very brittle and apt to snap off at 

 different lengths. In the central feathers the extremity is modified into a wide fattened 

 battledore-shaped form, each barbule being colored with refulgent emerald-green, deep violet- 

 purple, greenish bronze, gold and blue, in such a manner as to form a distinct "eye," the 

 centre l>eing violet of two shades, surrounded with emerald, and the other tints being arranged 

 concentrically around it. In the feathers that edge the train there is no "eye," the feathers 

 coming to a point at the extremity, and having rather wide but loose emerald-green barbuleH 

 on its outer web, and a few scattered copper}' barbules in the place of the inner web. The 

 tail-feathers are only seven or eiirht inches in length, are of a grayish-brown color, and can be 

 seen when the train is erected, that being their appointed task. 



On the head Is a tuft or aigrette of twenty four upright feathers, blackish upon their 



