THE PROUD AND GAUDY PEACOCK
Among all the birds of the poultry yard first in display stands the peacock, one of the most splendid in show of all birds. This fine fellow, with his glowing colors and royal tail, has some claim to be proud of his looks. Any of you who have seen him will agree with me in this. For those who have not seen him I must try and tell what he is like.
Rising from the head of the peacock is a crest of feathers of the most brilliant green and gold, while all its plumage is richly colored. But its finest feature is its splendid train, a great circle of feathers which rise above the tail and which it can lift into a glowing circle of wonderful beauty.
Of these feathers the middle ones are sometimes more than four feet long. They grow shorter on each side till they form a complete fan. All of these are spangled with eye-like richly-colored spots, so that a peacock with its tail spread is one of the most brilliant objects in nature.
Well he knows how royal is his dress, and dearly he loves to show himself to the plainly-dressed ladies of his flock, strutting about with full spread train and turning slowly round that they all may see how lovely an object he is.
Once each year this proud fellow loses his fine feathers, and at this time he tries to keep out of sight, as if ashamed of his plain attire. But they soon grow again and once more he comes forward to show himself to the world.
Lippincott's Primer
The Peacock, the Most Gorgeous of Home Birds
This bird comes from India and Ceylon. There is another species in Java which is said to be still finer in its display. We are told that "its crest, head and neck are rich green, the breast bluish-green margined with gold, the back bright copper-color barred with green and light brown, and the upper tail coverts rich green with gold and copper-color reflections." Nature seems to have done her best to lay splendor on this royal son of the tropics.
What else shall be said about this bird, aside from the beauty of its colors? In its younger days this does not appear, the sexes being alike in plumage when they are young. The male is three years old before its days of show begin. The cry of the bird is a shrill sound like Pao, and it also makes an odd noise by rattling its quills. It is given to quarrels and keeps to itself at night, roosting high in the trees. Its chief food is grain, though it also eats insects and worms, and if it can get into a garden it is sure to make mischief before it is found out.
In the woods of India the peacock is said to be often seen in company with the tiger, though why no one knows. It is not easy to learn in what way these two can help each other or what tastes they have in common. If the taste of the tiger is for the meat of the peacock, the bird would be likely to keep out of its way.
How long it has been since the peafowl was first tamed we cannot tell, but the Bible speaks of it as being known in Palestine in King Solomon's time. Alexander the Great seems to have brought it from India to Greece and after that time it was well known in the west. The Greeks and Romans called it the bird of Juno, and the rich Romans, who would go to any expense to make a new dish for their tables, are said to have eaten the tongues and brains of the peafowl. How many of the birds must have been killed to serve for one foolish dinner!
In our days the eggs and young are said to make good eating, but the birds are kept usually for their beauty alone, though their splendid tails are used at times as an ornament.