PEAHEN AS ADVENTURESS 231 



judging from its habits in England, quite as noc- 

 turnal as some of the Owls, not stirring much 

 before noon, while the trampled ground in any 

 small enclosure in which specimens are kept shows 

 that they run about much at night. 



Most Ducks, when free from human persecution, 

 are certainly inclined to diurnal habits to a greater 

 extent than their behaviour where sought by sports- 

 men would indicate, and M. Rogeron says> that 

 their night-vision appears to be no better than 

 our own, judging from the way in which they will 

 fail to see bread thrown to them at dusk. But as 

 they generally fly in the open and feed much by 

 feeling, this is no great drawback. 



The ordinary day-birds certainly are just about 

 as much at a loss at night as we are, and can avoid 

 danger just about as much. Game-birds are gener- 

 ally particularly helpless at night, as we see in the 

 case of Fowls and Pheasants ; but Peafowl are 

 far more alert — I have known a Peahen which had 

 escaped from the former trading menagerie at 

 Covent Garden remain at large for months, in 

 spite of attempts at nocturnal surprises. The 

 Quail appears to be even actually semi- nocturnal, 

 for in captivity it freely moves about at night ; 

 one I kept loose in a room was quite quiescent by 

 day. The Lineated Pheasant of Burma (Gennesus 

 lineatus) has also been observed coming out into 

 forest clearings on moonlight nights. 



Although Parrots are mostly diurnal birds, there 

 are some as nocturnal as Owls, such as the great 



