THE PEACOCK 
ERHAPS you like Kipling’s Jungle stories 
and have read in the wonderful story of 
Tomai of the Elephants, the following: 
“What little Tomai liked was to scramble up 
the bridle paths that only an elephant could take; 
a dip into the valley below; the glimpses of the 
wild elephants browsing miles away; the rush of 
the frightened pig and peacock under Kala Nag’s 
feet.” 
—Tomai of the Elephants, Rupyarp KIp.inc. 
i 
Thus we see that Tomai saw the peacock as a wild 
bird, and if we should see it thus, and study its 
habits, we too must go to those jungles of India which 
border on streams; for the peacock is a thirsty bird, 
and must always live near water, and with enough 
cover to protect it from the rays of the hot sun. It 
also likes to be near cultivated land, where it often 
becomes a nuisance, because of its love for the ripen- 
ing grains. 
At the breeding season the peacock is a bird of 
much responsibility, for he has several families to 
look after, usually having four or five admiring 
wives. The peahen chooses a bank above the com- 
mon level, and there upon the ground builds her 
nest of leaves and small sticks. She lays about a 
dozen or fifteen eggs and sits on them very steadily. 
The eggs hatch usually about the first of November, 
and the chicks feed upon the young grain, and become 
so juicy and tender that they are often hunted for food. 
The jackals, wild cats and tigers are the especial 
enemies of the peafowls in their native home. If 
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