224 



THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. 



Surely the turtle-dove, with its plain Quaker 

 garb and endearing manners, is far more wor- 

 thy of the poet's song. Pleasant is it to listen 

 to the cuckoo, the plain song-cuckoo of Bottom 

 the weaver the beauteous stranger of the grove, 

 the messenger of spring. But the peacock has 

 no other recommendation than that of a fair 

 exterior, a gay and gorgeous plumage. Says 

 Young : 



" How rich the peacock ! what bright glories run 

 From plume to plume, and vary in the sun ! 

 He proudly spreads them to the golden ray, 

 Gives all his colors, and adorns the day ; 

 With conscious state the spacious round displays, 

 And slowly moves around, a waving blaze." 



Oh ! a noble fellow is the peacock ; his small 

 head crowned with a crest of feathers, choice 

 and straight ; his neck long and slender, taper- 

 ing gracefully from the breast upward ; his back 

 and wings of a light ash color, mingled with 

 black; his head, and neck, and breast of a 

 greenish-blue, with a gloss which, in the sun- 

 shine, appears exceedingly brilliant; his eyes 

 set between two stripes of white ; the feathers 

 of his tail of a changeable mixture of green, 

 blue, purple, and gold. Standing thus before 

 us, he is one of the most beautiful objects im- 

 aginable. 



This most magnificent and beautiful of all 

 the feathered race is supposed to have been 

 originally a native of India ; but they have long 

 been introduced into Europe and this country 

 as ornaments to the mansions of gentlemen 

 farmers. Peacocks are said to be at present 

 found in a state of freedom upon the islands of 

 Java and Ceylon. The earliest mention we 

 can trace of the peacock is in the Book of Job. 

 The history of King Solomon is an evidence of 

 the antiquity of the peacock, and also the choice 

 of the goddess Juno, who selected this for her 

 favorite bird, from its gorgeous and brilliant 

 plumage and majesty of demeanor. It is as- 

 serted by the ancient writers that the first pea- 

 cock was honored with a public exhibition at 

 Athens; the rumor of the arrival spread all 

 over Greece ; from distant parts the rich and 

 the noble took their journey to the classical 

 city, to pay handsomely to be spectators of that 

 beautiful phenomenon and wonderful paragon 



of the feathered race. Going to look at the 

 peacock was not only an expensive, but an ar- 

 istocratical entertainment. How greatly ad- 

 mired was the magnificent bird ! How, in be- 

 holding the gay plumage, the people would list- 

 en and wonder as the showman of the day in- 

 formed them that the black and ill-formed legs 

 of the birds were the objects of aversion even to 

 the birds themselves, and they were never so 

 happy as when they spread their gorgeous tails 

 and felt the power of their appearance exercised 

 on the gay groups of sight-seers before them. 



At a later period, the Grecian ladies had the 

 tail-feathers of peacocks arranged in the semi- 

 circular sweep, and used them as fans. Bright 

 and beautiful fans they were, too, with the brill- 

 iant colors and the glittering gold shining in 

 the light, and the fashion contributed greatly to 

 the picturesque costume of those ancient dames. 



"There are," says Goldsmith, "various de- 

 scriptions of peacocks, some of which are white, 

 others crested ; that which is called the Pea- 

 cock of Thibet is the most beautiful of the feath- 

 eied creation, containing in its plumage all the 

 most vivid colors, red, blue, yellow, and green, 

 disposed in almost artificial order, as if merely 

 to please the eye of the beholder." 



Characteristics. The crow, or, rather, the 

 scream, of the peacock is loud, harsh, and dis- 

 agreeable. It is only heard during the breed- 

 ing-season, and it is one of those rural sounds 

 which proclaim the approach of summer. This, 

 together with the frequent appearance of the 

 cock in "full glory," exhibiting his splendid 

 train, are sure signs that the business of nidifi- 

 cation is at hand. The hen has always much 

 apparent listlessness in her manner; for even 

 when looking about for a proper place to de- 

 posit her eggs, she makes no sign that she is so 

 engaged, but walks leisurely about, as if she 

 were looking for food. She is, however, seek- 

 ing the most private corner she can find, at 

 some distance from the concourse of houses of 

 the other poultry. If a wood or shrubbery be 

 near, she will choose a place under a bush, and 

 generally among dry fallen leaves. The nest is 

 generally made of sticks and leaves rudely thrown 

 together, and contains from twelve to fifteen 

 eggs. 



