. A history of British birds : the figures engraved on wood . afan, whilst his wings droop and trail on the ground, andhe utters at the same time a dull hollow sound ; he strutsround and round with a solemn pace, assumes all the dig-nity of the most majestic of birds, and thus expresses hisattachment to his females, or his resentment to those ob-jects which have excited his indignation. The hen Tur-key begins to lay early in the spring : she Is very attentiveto the business of incubation, and will produce fifteen orsixteen chicks at one time, but seldom has more than onehatch in a season in th
. A history of British birds : the figures engraved on wood . afan, whilst his wings droop and trail on the ground, andhe utters at the same time a dull hollow sound ; he strutsround and round with a solemn pace, assumes all the dig-nity of the most majestic of birds, and thus expresses hisattachment to his females, or his resentment to those ob-jects which have excited his indignation. The hen Tur-key begins to lay early in the spring : she Is very attentiveto the business of incubation, and will produce fifteen orsixteen chicks at one time, but seldom has more than onehatch in a season in this climate. Young Turkles, aftertheir extrication from the shell, are very tender, and re-quire great attention in rearing, being subje6t to a varietyof diseases, from cold, rain, and dews ; even the sun itself,when they are exposed to Its more powerful rays, is saidto occasion almost immediate death. As soon as they BRITISH BIRDS. 289 are sufficiently strong, they are abandoned by the mother,and are then capable of enduring the utmost rigour ofour THE PEACOCK. {Pavo crijlatus, Lin.—Le Paon, BufF.) To describe the inimitable beauties of this elegant bird,in adequate terms, would be a task of no small difficulty. 290 BRITISH BIRDS. « Its matchless plumage, says Buffon, seems to com-bine all that delights the eye in the soft and deHcate tintsof the finest flowers, all that dazzles it in the sparklinglustre of the gems, and all that astonishes it in the granddisplay of the rainbow. Its head is adorned with a tuft,consisting of twenty-four feathers, whose slender shaftsare furnished with webs only at the ends, painted withthe most exquisite green, mixed with gold: the head,throat, neck, and breast, are of a deep blue, glossed withgreen and gold ; the back of the same, tinged withbronze; the scapulars and lesser wing coverts are of areddish cream colour, variegated with black ; the middlecoverts deep blue, glossed wath green and gold; thegreater coverts and bastard wing
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