164 NATURALIST'S CABINET. 



Description of the Japan peacock. 



are neither so long, so round, nor so distinct : its 

 young are not so difficult to rear as those of the 

 white peacock. 



Besides these there are other varieties, parti- 

 cularly the Japan peacock, which is only known 

 to Europe, by means of a painting, sent by the 

 emperor of Japan to the pope. It is about the 

 size of the crested peacock, but the bill is larger, 

 and ash-coloured ; the iris yellow, : and round the 

 eye is red. On the top of the head is an upright 

 crest, four inches long, and shaped somewhat 

 like an ear of corn. The colour is green, mixed 

 with blue. The top of the neck and head green- 

 ish, marked with spots of bine ; the breast is blue 

 and green gold mixed ; the belly, sides, and 

 thighs are ash colour, marked with black spots 

 streaked with white on the belly; the w r ing co- 

 verts and secondaries are not unlike the back; 

 the greater quills are green, transversely barred 

 with black linos, but growing yellowish towards 

 the ends, where they are black ; the upper-tail 

 coverts are fewer than those of the common pea- 

 cock, but much longer than the tail; they are of 

 a chesnut brown, with white shafts, and have at 

 the end of each a large spot, gilded in the middle, 

 then blue, and surrounded with green; the legs 

 arc r.sh-coloured, and not furnished with spurs. 



The female of this species is smaller than the 

 male, and differs in having the brily quite black, 

 and tin i-npu'-tail cove <s much shorter. 



Chinese peacock is larger th.au the corn.,. 



