CLASS II. AVES: ORDER 5. RASORES. 
25r 
ance, consisting of a harsh, disagreeable cry, not unlike the word jpaon^ which is the French name 
for the bird. 
Although naturalized as a domestic bird in Europe and America, the peacock is a native of 
'India, where it is still found abundantly in a wild state; and the wild specimens are said to be 
more brilliant than those bred in captivity. The date of its introduction into England is not 
known, but the first peacocks appear to have been brought into Europe by Alexander the Great, 
although these birds were among the articles imported into Judea by the fleets of Solomon. They 
reached Rome toward the end of the Republic, and their costliness soon caused them to be re- 
garded as one of the greatest luxuries of the table, although the moderns find them dry and leath- 
ery. This, perhaps, as much as the desire of ostentation, may have induced the extravagance of 
Vitellius and Heliogabalus, who introduced dishes composed only of the brains and tongues of 
peacocks at their feasts. In Europe, during the middle ages, the peacock was still a favorite ar- 
ticle in the bill of fare of grand entertainments, at which it was served with the greatest pomp 
and magnificence ; and during the period of chivalry, it was usual for knights to make vows of 
enterprise on these occasions, " before the peacock and the ladies." In the present day, however, 
the bird is kept entirely on account of the beauty of its appearance. 
In a state of nature peacocks frequent jungles and wooded localities, feeding upon grain, fi'uits, 
and insects. They are polygamous, and the females make their nests upon the ground among 
bushes; the nest is composed of grass, and the number of eggs laid is said to be five or six. They 
roost in high trees, and even in captivity their inclination to get into an elevated position often 
manifests itself; and they may frequently be seen perched upon high walls, or upon the ridges 
of buildings. 
The Japan Peacock, P. Japoneiisis, improperly called the Javanese Peacock, P. Javanicus, 
resembles the preceding, but has a much taller crest : found only in Japan. 
Genus POLYPLECTRO>^ : Polyi^lectron.—^Q this belongs the Thibetian Peacock, P. Thi- 
betanus, a veiy beautiful species, the head ornamented with a crest, and a long tail, not erectile, 
but capable of very wide expansion : found in Northern Thibet. 
THE MOUND-BIED OR BRUSH-TDEKET. 
THE MEGAPODID^ OR MOUND-BIRDS. 
These consist of several species, some in India and some in Australia, and having very peculiar 
habits in relation to their nests and incubation. 
Genus MEGAPODIITS : Megapodius.—To this belong several species, inhabiting the shady 
Vol. II.— 33 
