When 
Fine Feathers Make Fine Birds 
If you would double the interest centered about a pond or lake keep some 
swans swimming about in it. They need little attention if proper quarters 
are given them in a secluded place near the water’s edge 
ORNAMENTAL LAND AND WATER FOWL THAT GRACE THE COUNTRY PLACE 
—BIRDS THAT HAVE ALL THE INTEREST OF PETS—HOW TO CARE FOR THEM 
by E. I. Farrington 
Photographs by E. J. Hall and Others 
W HILE it is true that fine feathers may not make fine birds 
when mere utility is considered, yet beauty of plumage is 
an important item in the breeding of ornamental poultry. Take, 
for example, the peacock. With its blue neck, its black and green 
wings, its brown, violet and gold train and its aigrette or crest oi 
twenty-four upright and richly-colored feathers, the peacock is an 
object of admiration to all, including himself. Were it not for 
The gorgeous plumage of the peacock demands a formal setting or 
smooth green lawns to be fully effective 
these splendid adornments there would be no place for this bird on 
the country estate or anywhere else. Both the flesh and the eggs 
are palatable, to be sure, but there is no demand for them. 
In these modern days the peacock is valued only for his orna¬ 
mental qualities, and they hardly atone, sometimes, for the vexa¬ 
tion one feels when startled from slumber by the hair-raising 
screech with which he salutes the morning sun. He is as vain 
as a village belle, loves to disport himself before the hens, and 
finds pleasure in the mirrored reflection he finds in the cellar 
window. 
The most striking physical characteristic of the peacock is his 
train, commonly supposed 'to be his tail. The real tail is com¬ 
posed of plain brown feathers about six inches long, which can 
be held erect, and which serve to support the wonderfully bril¬ 
liant train, spread out like a disc and marked with gorgeous 
eye-like spots. When he stands with this huge fan opened and 
glistening in the bright sunlight, the peacock is incomparably 
lovely; his vanity is forgiven him. When the moult comes on 
the feathers fall out gradually and may be picked up here and 
there all about the grounds. It isn't a sin to- extract by hand the 
few which are held to the last, if they can he reached as the bird 
perches on the grape arbor or the limb of a tree at night. 
The peacock and his consort, small, modest and unbedecked, 
demand no special care. They live on the same fare as the barn¬ 
yard fowl, but resent confinement. They can fly freely, and 
spend their nights in the trees or elsewhere outside, regardless 
of the weather or the time of year, except that on rare occasions 
they may seek the shelter of an open shed. They like green stuff, 
and sometimes do damage in the garden. 
Peacocks do not get their trains until the third year, and should 
not be used for breeding until then. The peahen nests on the 
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