\o6 NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Inferiority of the peahen. 



The peacock's belly and sides are blackish, 

 with some tints of green and gold ; the lower fea- 

 thers covering the tail; and the tail itself, com- 

 posed of eighteen feathers, are of a brown grey. 

 The feathers of the legs are of a bright fawn- 

 colour ; the small feathers of the wings are vari- 

 egated with the same and black, and have a 

 slight tint of gold and green; the middle ones 

 are of a dark blue changing to gold and green, 

 and the largest, which are situated farthest from 

 the body, are reddish. The iris of the eye is 

 yellow ; and the feet and claws are grey. 



The peahen is smaller than the cock ; her de- 

 corations are less splendid, her crest is lower, and 

 her feet are generally without spurs ; but in some 

 a rudiment of one is seen. The feathers which 

 cover the tail are destitute of the resplendent 

 beauties, which are possessed by the male ; and 

 they are even shorter than the tail itself. Almost 

 her whole plumage is of a brown approaching an 

 ash colour; the top of the head and crest are of 

 the same, variegated with a few small spots of a 

 bright green. The two white spots on the side 

 of the head are larger than in the male: the 

 throat is white, the neck green, and each of the 

 feathers on the breast is bordered with white ; the 

 iris of the eye is of a lead colour ; the bill, feet, 

 and claws are grey. 



This bird, which seems proud of his gaudy 

 plumage, is a faithful emblem of those vain mor- 

 tals whose only merit consists in the splendor 



