18 # 
NATURAL HISTORY 
some; and the feathers, which lie so sleek and regular in 
most of those we are acquainted with, are in a peculiar 
breed ail inverted, and stand the wrong way. 
In his native state of independence, as seen in the 
woods on the coast of Malabar, and in many islands of 
the Indian ocean, the plumage of this bird is black and 
yellow, and his comb and wattles are yellow and purple; 
and it is peculiarly worthy of observation that bones of 
this species, when boiled, are as black as ebony. — The va- 
rieties noticed above, with many others too tedious for 
enumeration, may be considered as indubitable marks of 
long captivity. 
No animal has greater courage than the cock when op- 
posed to one of his own species, and in every part of the 
world where refinement and polished manners have not 
entirely taken place, cock-fighting is a principal diver- 
sion. In China, India, the Phillippine Islands, and all 
over the East, it is a favourite sport even with kings and 
princes. — This bird is very attentive to his females, and 
sometimes perfectly infuriate in defence of his young. 
The hen seldom clutches a brood of chickens above 
once a season, though instances have been known to the 
contrary. Provided, however, she be well fed and sup- 
plied with water, she will lay upwards of two hundred 
eggs in the course of a year. During the period of in- 
cubation, nothing can exceed her patience and perse- 
verance; and w hen her little offspring are produced, her 
pride and her affection seem to alter her very nature, and 
render her equally bold and abstemious on their account, 
though naturally timid and voracious. 
Peacock. CPi- 27 .) To describe the inimitable beau- 
ties of this elegant bird, in adequate terms, would be a 
task of no small difficulty. Its head is adorned with a 
tuft consisting of twenty-four feathers, whose slender 
shafts are furnished with webs only at the ends, painted 
with the most exquisite green, mixed with gold: the head, 
throat, neck, and breast, are of a deep blue, glossed with 
green and gold; the greater converts and bastard wings 
are of a reddish brow r n, as are also the quills, some of 
which are variegated with black and green; the belly and 
