* 
4 THE NATURAL HISTORY 
thers, fcarcely webbed but at their ends, of a 
green colour glofled with gold: round the Cyes is 
a white fkin, and the fall feathers which cover 
its ars feem.a little rough. The head, neck, 
and breaft of the male, are of a beautiful blue, 
which fometimes feems enriched with fhades of. 
green and purple, (the neck of the female js 
green glofied with gold.) The back is green, 
inlaid with gold, and the feathers lie one over 
another like fhells; above the tail is a train of — 
long and beautiful feathers; the fhafts’or ftems 
of thefe feathers, are ornamented with feparate 
webs of green and gold and chefnut colour; at 
the end a number of thefe webs are united toge- 
oa ther, and adorned with the eye or moon, which 
— is a fhining fpot, painted as it were with the moft 
beautiful colours, feveral fhades of gold and green, 
and of blue deepening into a rich violet: thefe 
appear ftill more ftriking, becaufe the colour in 
the centre or middle, is a fine velvet black. 
The true tail is hid beneath this train, and con- 
fifts of eighteen brown feathers. 
The Peacock has the power of raifing his train, 
{preading it in a circle, and giving it a quivering 
motion ; it is then that he difplays al] his beau- 
> tics, his creft moves, and his head and neck fall- 
“ 8 ing 

