138 CLASS AVES. 



of magnificence ; no species can rival him, and if we could 

 venture to set a limit to the boundless riches with which 

 Nature can clothe the animated creation, we might be 

 tempted, under this point of view, to consider the wild pea- 

 cock as the chef d'cBUvre of her productions, the union of 

 every various external beauty, the ne plus ultra of splendor. 

 We find in his incomparable robe, united, all the brilliant 

 colours that we admire separately in other birds ; we find 

 all that glistens in the rainbow, and sparkles in the mine, — the 

 azure tints of heaven, and the emerald of the fields. 



The wild peacock is about the size of a hen turkey. The 

 length from the end of the bill to the extremity of the tail is 

 four feet five inches ; the tail alone is nineteen inches ; the 

 tarsus, four inches, seven lines; the bill, one inch, eight lines; 

 the aigrette which adorns the summit of the head, is two 

 inches high. The result of this measurement proves that the 

 difference of size between the wild and domestic breed is 

 trifling, and that travellers have been erroneous in asserting, 

 that this was the only or the principal diiference existing 

 between them. The light and elegant tuft which adorns the 

 head of the domestic peacock is in all respects alike in the 

 wild. The brilliant azure, — shining, with reflexions of green 

 and gold, — which decorates the head, and the velvety scales 

 which cover the back, are of a purer tint. But it is in the 

 richly assorted colours of the alar coverts, that one of the 

 principal differences consists. The wild peacock has all the 

 small coverts of the upper part of the wings, as well as tlie 

 subalar plumes, of a deep and brilliant green ; they are bor- 

 dered by green, with reflexions of gold ; the small and the 

 middle coverts are deep-blue, bordered with golden-green ; 

 the greater coverts are of a greenish and metallic-black. All 

 have broad edgings of fine bronzed-purple, changing into 

 molten copper colour ; the bastard wing is of a bistre-brown ; 

 the first ten great wing-quills arc of a deep rusty -red ; the 



