PEA 
moft beautiful of the feathered creation; having 
it's plumage of the moft vivid colours; and dif- 
pofed in fuch a manner, that it is impoffible for 
art to imitate or words to defcribe it. 
Peacock, Wild, of Sonnerat. This ele- 
g'ant bird, which was difcovered in the Ifle of Lu- 
^on, is about three feet in length from the extre- 
mity of it's beak to that of it's tail; it's feet have 
only three toes, all pointing forwards; and it's 
legs are naked a confiderable way above it's 
knees. The bill is long, pointed, and ftraight, 
except that it is a little elevated towards it's point ; 
the head, the neck, and the belly, are covered 
with plumage of a bright grey colour, cut by 
tranfverfe femicircular rays of black; the head is 
adorned with a beautiful long plume, pointing 
backwards, and terminating in alliarp point; and 
the feathers which compofe it are black above, 
and grey beneath, barred with black. The back, 
the wings, and the tail, are brown ; the coverts of 
the wings are white, bordered with grey; the belly 
is white; and the bill is of a deep black colour. 
This bird feems rather to belong to the plover 
than the Peacock kind : neverthelefs, to avoid the 
confufion which naturalifts have fo much reafon 
to lament of changing names in an arbitrary man- 
ner, we have retained the appellation given it by 
Sonnerat, by which it is likewife known at the 
Cape of Good Hope. 
PEACOCK-FISH. An appellation given to 
a large fpecies of the turdus or wralTe, of a middle 
nature between the long and flat-bodied kinds. 
It ufually weighs about three pounds ; it's colour 
on the back is a mixture of blackilh and dulky 
blue, the blue being difpofed in three or four 
longitudinal parallel lines, on a dufky, blackifh 
ground; about the head and gills the blue lines 
are more bright and numerous; the lower jaw is 
almoft wholly blue; and the belly is of a fine faf- 
fron-colour. The lips are very thick; and the 
teeth are fharp, though not very large. The 
back fin, on the anterior part, is of a fine deep 
blue colour edged with purple, and fometimes 
Avith yellow; and the remainder is red at the bot- 
tom, yellow at the top, and finely variegated in 
the middle with blue fpots. The foremofb rays 
of the dorfal fin are rigid and prickly, having 
foft and flexile rays accompanying them beyond 
the limb or edge of the fin ; the gill-fins are a 
mixture of red and yellow; the other belly-fins 
are of the fame colours; and the tail is wholly 
blue. 
This fifli is remarkably beautiful; and from 
the elegant fpots and variegations of it's fins, it 
has received it's name. 
PEARCH, OR PERCH. In the Linn^an 
fyftem, the name of a genus of fiflies of the order 
of thoracici: the diftinguifhing charadlers of 
■which are ; that the membranes of the gills have 
feven bones, and the back one or two fins, the 
firft fpiny, the fecond foft; that the body is co- 
vered with rough fcales; and that the edges of 
the gill-covers are fcaly and ferrated. Linnseus 
enumerates thirty-fix fpecies. 
Pearch, Common; the Perca Fluviatilis of 
Linnasus. This fifli was known to the ancients; 
and thofe of Britain were particularly admired by 
the Romans. The Dutch are excefTively fond of 
the Pearch, when made into a difh called water- 
fouchy; and by European nations in general it is 
efleemed firm and delicate. 
The Pearch is a gregarious fifli, commonly 
PEC 
lodging in deep holes and gentle fcreams; and h 
extremely voracious, biting with fuch avidity, 
that if the angler meets with a fhoal of them, he 
is fure of catching the whole. 
It has been vulgarly fuppofed that the pike 
will not attack the Pearch, being apprehenfive 
of it's fpiny fins, which it erefts on the approach 
of the former. This may be true with refped' to 
large fifh; but it is well known that fmall ones are 
the moft tempting bait which can be liid for the 
pike. 
The Pearch is fo exceffively tenacious of life, 
that it has frequently been carried fifty or fixty 
miles among dry ftraw, and yet furvived the jour- 
ney. It feldom grows to any confiderable mag- 
nitude. We have indeed heard of one caught 
in the Serpentine River, Hyde Park, which 
weighed nine pounds; but this is very uncom- 
mon. The body is deep ; the fcales are extremely 
rough; the back is much arched; and the fide- 
line is placed near the back. The irides are of 
a golden hue; the teeth are fmall, difpofed in the 
jaws, and on the roof of the mouth; the edges of 
the covers of the gills are ferrated; and on the 
lower end of the largeft there is a fharp fpine. 
The firft dorfal fin confifts of fourteen fpiny rays, 
and the fecond of fixteen foft ones; the pecloral 
fins, which are tranfparent, confift of fourteen 
rays, the ventral of fix, and the anal of eleven j 
and the tail is a little forked. The colours are 
extremely beautiful, the back, and part of the 
fides, being of a deep green, marked with five 
broad black bars pointing downwards; the belly 
is white, tinged with red; the ventral fins are of a 
rich fcarlet colour; and the anal fins and the tail 
are of the fame hue, but fomewhat paler. 
Pennant mentions a Angular variety of the 
Pearch ; the back of which is quite hunched, and 
the lower part of the back-bone next the tail 
ftrongly diftorted : but in it's colour, and other 
parts of it's conformation, it exaflly refembles 
the common kind. It has been caught in a lake 
of Merionethftiire, called Llyn Raithlyn; and 
alfo in the Thames, near Marlow. 
The Pearch affords excellent diverfion for the 
angler; and the beft feafon for this kind of fport 
is between the fpring and the middle of fummer. 
This fifli will bite the whole day, if the weather 
be cloudy; but the beft time of catching it is from 
eight to ten in the morning, and from three to fix 
in the afternoon. 
Pearch, Gilded. See Ruffe. 
Pearch, Sea; the Perca Marina of Linnseus, 
A fea-fifh much refembling the common frefh- 
v/ater Pearch in fliape, fize, and colours; but 
fomewhat thinner in proportion to it's length, and 
m.ore variegated. The back is marked with fix 
or feven blackifh tranfverfe lines; and the intei*- 
mediate fpace inclines to reddifn, elpecially to- 
wards the head. The whole head, and part of 
the belly, are elegantly variegated with red and 
blue ftreaks ; the dorfal fin is of a pale yellow co- 
lour, with feveral reddifh yellow fpots, very long, 
furnifi:ied with fifteen ftrong fpiny rays, and four- 
teen foft ; the mouth is extremely wide, and ge- 
nerally open; the teeth are fliarp; and the eyes 
are very large. 
This fifli is very common in the Mediterra- 
nean ; and it's flefti is held in confiderable efti- 
mation. 
PECARY ; the Sus Tajacu of Linn^us. This 
animal, which of all others moft refembles a hog, 
and 
