BOOK VIII. X. 6-xi. 2 



triumphs gave a feast to the people. But at the 

 present day luxury has made this their everyday 

 price ; wherefore this source of income must not be 

 despised even by farmers. 



We have now dealt in general with those kinds 

 of birds which are fed within the precincts of 

 the farm ; we must now speak of those which are 

 also given freedom to seek their food in the 

 fields. 



XI. The rearing of peafowl calls for the attention Peafowl. 

 of the city-dwelling householder rather than of the 

 surly countryman ; yet it is not alien to the business 

 of the farmer who aims at the acquisition, from every 

 source, of pleasure with which he beguiles the loneli- 

 ness of country life ; and the elegance of these birds 

 delights even strangers, much more their owners. 

 This breed of birds, therefore, can be easily kept on 

 the small wooded islands which lie off the coast of 

 Italy ; for since they cannot fly high or over long 

 distances and since too on these islands there is no 

 fear of their being carried off by a thief or by 

 harmful animals, they can safely wander about 

 without anyone to look after them and acquire most 

 of their food for themselves. The hen-birds, finding 2 

 themselves as it were released from bondage, of their 

 own accord bring up their young with unusual devo- 

 tion, and the man in charge of them should have 

 nothing to do except, at a fixed time of day, to give 

 the signal and summon the flock to the neighbour- 

 hood of the farm and throw down a small quantity 

 of barley before them as they run to meet him, so 

 that the birds may not be hungry and that the 

 number may be verified of those who come to his 

 call. 



375 



