370 PEACOCK. Class II. 



beautiful a bird could not long be permitted to 

 be a stranger in the more distant parts ; for so 

 early as the days of Solomon* we find among 

 the articles imported in his Tarshish navies, 

 Apes and Peacocks. A monarch so conversant 

 in all branches of natural history, who spoke of 

 trees, from the cedar of Lebanon, even unto the 

 hyssop that springeth out of the wall: who spoke 

 also of beasts and of fowl, would certainly not 

 neglect furnishing his officers with instructions 

 for collecting every curiosity in the countries 

 they voyaged to, which gave him a knowledge 

 that distinguished him from all the princes of 

 his time. JElian\ relates, that they were 

 brought into Greece from some barbarous 

 country ; and that they were held in such high 

 esteem, that a male and female were valued at 

 Athens at 1000 drachmce, or 32/. 5s. lOd. 

 Their next step might be to Samos; where they 

 were preserved about the temple of Juno, being 

 the birds sacred to the goddess ?$ and Gellius 

 in his noctes Attica, c. 16. commends the ex- 

 cellency of the Samia?i peacocks. It is there- 

 fore probable that they were brought here ori- 



* 1 Kings, x. 22. f /Elian de nat. an. lib. v. 21. 



X Athenceus. lib. xiv. p. 655. 



