128 BOMBAY DUCKS 
it is a comparatively rare object in all the other parts of 
the country. The mischievous monkey is everywhere 
an object of veneration ‘to the orthodox Hindu. One 
could wish that this superstition were more local and 
that of the sanctity of the peacock more widespread. 
However, we must be thankful for small mercies. It 
is well that peafowl are protected in some parts of the 
country. 
The peacock is a typical Asiatic. His habits remind 
one of those of a non-Europeanized raja. He leads a 
lazy, useless life among the ladies of the harem. He 
lives for display. “The poor bird,” said Chrysippus, 
“is created only for its tail.” Had the Greek said that 
the bird was created for its train he would have been 
nearer the mark, for the tail of the peacock is a very 
insignificant affair; the train is formed by the great 
growth of the feathers which are known to ornithologists 
as the upper tail-coverts, since in most birds they merely 
cover the upper part of the base of the tail. 
The gait of the peacock is pride personified. As he 
walks, his looks, like those of an oriental prince, seem to 
express the words, 
“Ye meaner fowl, give place. 
I am all splendour, dignity, and grace.” 
The beauty of the peacock has always fascinated 
Westerns, King Solomon used to import the bird from 
distant Ophir; while Alexander the Great sent one of 
these gorgeous creatures to Athens, where the people 
used to assemble in great crowds to see it. 
The luxurious Romans imported the peacock as a 
table bird. It was served up in a dish ornamented by 
