THE peafowl: 185 



" The head, neek and breast of the male are a rich, dark purple, with beauti- 

 ful blue reflections, the head having an aigrette, or crest, composed of twenty- 

 four feathers, which are only webbed at the tip, where they show blue and green 

 reflections. The back is green, with a copper colored lacing to the feathers; the 

 wings whitish, striped or barred with black, gradually shading into deep blue. 

 The primaries and true tail feathers are a dark, rich chestnut ; but the tail cov- 

 erts, or train, are glossy-green, ocellated at the tips. The thighs are generally 

 grayish, and the belly and rump black. The eyes are dark hazel, pearled round 

 the edges, and legs brown, spurred as in the common fowl. The heck is very long, 

 slender and snaky, and the head small in proportion to the body. The Peahen 

 is much more subdued in color, being of a prevailing cliestnut brown, variously 

 shaded on difiEereut parts of the body, and mottled or shaded in places, especially 

 about the wings and tail, with a dull or grayish white. She has a crest like the 

 male, but duller in color, and not so tall." 



The wild nature of the Peafowl has never been wholly eradicated, hence it 

 never thrives in close confinement, but must have considerable range, as over a 

 large lawn, park, or country place. It can scarcely be induced to roost in a 

 house, preferring trees, and tall ones at that. The hen lays but few eggs, and 

 these only in the most secluded places ; she incubates them tour weeks, and must 

 not be disturbed during that time ; her broods are usually small, and thrive best 

 when left chiefly to their own management ; she goes with her brood about six 

 months, and this seems necessary, as they do not thrive when reared by common 

 hens, which desert them at two or three months. 



The young Peacock differs but little f f om the hen untU about eighteen months 

 old, when he begins to assume his splendid train, which he does not fuUy gain 

 until his third year. This train is shed annually, and forms a considerable item in 

 the profitableness of the birds, as it is worth several dollars for feather-brush 

 making. A lady who is thoroughly experienced in the management of Peafowls 

 says: 



"They require no care when they are young, as the hens hide their nests, and 

 do not bring the little ones near the house until they are about as large as quails. 

 The greatest objection to them is that they are troublesome about teasing young 

 chickens, but a good dog will make this all right, as they are very much afraid 

 of dogs." 



The Peafowl, like the Guinea fowl and the turkey gobbler, is a noisy bird; and 

 its shrill "ee-aw; ee-aw," maybe heard for a mile or more when the wind is 

 favorable. 



The Burman or Javam Peafowl, Pavo miuMcm, is a native of the Burmese and 

 Malay countries, as far northward as Aracan and Sumatra, and is abundant all 

 over Java. It is described by a writer in the London Field as being a finer and 

 larger species than the common Peafowl-, the neckbeing more bulky than in the 

 common bird, and the plumage on it laminated, or scale-like. "In other re- 

 spects the form resembles that of the common species except in the crest, which 

 is long and narrow, standing vertically on the upper part of the occiput, and 

 compesed of narrow feathers, scantily webbed basaUy, and ending in oblong 

 blades. Each of the long, flowing, upper tail coverts ends in an ocellum, or eye, 

 «olored aimilarly to those in the train of the ordinary Peafowl; but the longest 



