15 8 0^3\ClTH0L0gr, Book II. 



§. ii. 



A Peacock Pavo, Taws. 



T His Bird is fo well known every where, and fo fufficiently characterized by the 

 length and glorious eye-like (pots of his Tail alone, that it may perchance 

 feem (iiperfluous to beftow many words ondefcribing of it. I (hall therefore only pre- 

 fent the Reader with Aldrovandus his defcription. 



In the Cock ( faith he ) the Head, Neck, and beginning of the Bread: are of a deep 

 blue. The Head in proportion to the body little, and (as Albertus notes} in a man- 

 ner Serpentine, adorned with two oblong white fpots, the one above the Eyes, the 

 other, ( which is the lelTer, but much the thicker ) under them, which is alfo fuc- 

 ceeded by a black one 5 elfe, as I laid, blue. It hath a tuft on the top of its head, not 

 entire, as in fome other birds, but confiding of a kind of naked, but very tender, 

 green (talks or (hafts of feathers, bearing on their tops as it were Lily-flowers of the 

 fame colour. Of which moft beautiful tuft or creft thus Pliny ^Pavonk apcem crinits 

 arbufcuU conJHtuunt: L And indeed they feem not to be feathers,butthe tender (hoots of 

 * The fik of Plants newly put forth. The Bill is whitifh and * (lit wide,being a little crooked at the 

 the mouth he t ^ s it is in almoftall granivorous birds,andin it wide Nofthrils : The Neck long,and 

 for the bignefs of the Fowl very (lender .The Back of a pale aih-colour,befprinkled with 

 many tranfverfe black fpots. The Wings clofed ( for lpred I cannot fee them, who de- 

 fcribe it painted by thelife)above towards the Back are black,lower towards the Belly 

 and withinfidered. The Tail is fo difpofed,that it is as it were divided into two. For 

 when he threads it round, certain lefler feathers making as it were an entire Tail by 

 themfelves, and being of another, to wit, a dusky colour, do not (land up like thole 

 long ones, but arefeen extended as in other birds : So that without doubt the longer 

 muft needs be inferred into another mufcle, by help whereof they are fo ere&ed and 

 (pread. Thefe long feathers, (as Bel/onius writes) fpring out of the upper part of the 

 Back near the vent, that is,out of the Rump : And thofe other lefler ones are made by 

 Nature to fupport the longer. The Rump is of a deep green, which together with the 

 Tail it ere&s j the feathers whereof are (hort,and fo difpofed, that they do as it were 

 imitate the fcales of an Mthiopian Dragon, and cover and take away the fight of part 

 of the long feathers of the Tail. The longer feathers are all of a Chefnut colour, 

 beautified with moll: elegant gold lines tending upward, but ending in tips of a very 

 deep green, and thofe forked like Swallows Tails. The circular fpots, or ( as Pliny 

 calls them )the eyes of the feathers, are particoloured of a deep green, (hining like 

 a Chryfolite, a Gold and Sapphire colour. For thofe Eyes confift of four circles of 

 different colours, the firft a golden, the fecond a chefnut, the third a green : The 

 fourth or middle place is taken up by a blue or Sapphire coloured fpot, almoft of the 

 figure and bignefs of a Kidney-bean. The Hips, Legs and Feet are of an afh-colour 

 befprinkled with black fpots, and armed with ipurs after the manner of Dunghil- 

 Cocks. The Belly near the Stomach is of a bluifh green, near the vent it is black, or 

 at lealt of a dusky colour. 



In the Peahen there is little variety of colours. The whole Wings, Back, Belly, 

 Thighs and Legs are of a dusky colour, inclining to cinereous. The Crown of the 

 Head and Creft are of the fame colour, yet in the top of the Head are fomefmall 

 fpots, as it were points of green difperfed. Thofe white fpots we noted in the Cock 

 are in the Hen far greater. The circle encompaffing the Pupil of the Eye in the 

 Cock is yellow, in this of a lead-colour. The Chin is wholly white. The fea- 

 thers of the Neck are waved and green 5 near the Bread they have their extremities 

 white. 



Their Food is the fame with that of the common Cock and Hen : But they do 

 efpecially delight in Barley. Albertus (aith, that Peacocks eat Serpents, whence it is 

 no wonder that Serpents fhould be terrified with their voice. That they were origi- 

 nally exotic birds, and of old time brought out of India into Europe is moft probable, 

 though now adays they are every where very frequent. 



It is proper to this Bird only, the Turkey excepted, to erecl: his Tail, and fpread it 

 round, as if it delighted and took pride to have the gliftering Eyes thereof beheld : 

 But that he doth it upon being commended, and that fo foon ashecafts dow n his Eyes 

 and fees the deformity of his Feet, out of (name he presently lets fall and contra&s 

 his Tail, as if he were not altogether devoid of reafbn, is without doubt falfe and 

 fabulous. s I ts 



