NATURAL HISTORY. 
Bantam cocks; the latter of which is well 
known, by its diminutive lize^and feather- 
ed legs. 
rite P E A C O C K. 
H E Italians have obferved, not unapt- 
ly, that this bird has the plumage of an angel , 
the voice of a demon, and the appetite of 
a thief. They were originally from In- 
dia, and are ftill found in vail flocks in the 
iflands of Ceylon and Java. The beauty of 
the peacock deprived it firft of its liberty ; 
which proves to demonftration, that beauty 
is not confined to the deftnuftion of the hu- 
man fpecies. So early as in the time of So- 
lomon, according to the tenth chapter of 
the firft book of Kings, apes and peacocks 
are found among the articles that were im- 
ported from Tarfliifli. They were fo much 
efteemed by the Greeks, that a pair of them 
was reckoned worth upwards of thirty 
pounds fterling. When firft introduced into 
Greece, they were made a public exhibition. 
Hortenfius, the orator, was the firft who 
ferved them up as an entertainment for the 
table. They were afterwards confidered 
the choieeft of viands, and one of the grc'at- 
eft ornaments of the feall ; but tHeir palata- 
ble fame foon deelined, as may be obferved. 
by the concUnft of Francis I. who' ferved 
L 2 them 
