: m V <D C R I S T A T U S
MO.Hanhiurt-imp ■
PAVO CRISTATUS.
COMMON PEAFOWL.
PAVO CRISTATUS, T.inn. Syst. N a t vol. i. p. 2 6 7—Id. Faun. Suee. p. 187—Buff. Plan. Enlum.433,434.—Sclat.Proc. Zool.Soc.(1 8 6 3 )p. 123,
' ' sp. 1 —Jerd. B. of Ind. voKiii. pi 507.—Burgess, Proc. Zool.¡S^c. (1 8 5 5 )p, 2 9—Irby,Ibis(1 8 6 1 ),p .234.—Beavan,Ibis (1 8 6 8 ),p. 379.
—Blyth, Ibis (1867), p .'151.—Adams, Proc. Zool. Soc." (1858) .p. 4'98.—Tennent, Ceylon, vol. i. p. 165.—Gray, Hand-1. Birds, pt. ii.
256, no.:;?;5.60^,^;
P. CRISTATUS PRIMUSi Temm. Gall. Ind. vol.' iii. p. 650.
P. ASSAMENSIS, McClell. Ind. Rev. (1838) p. 513.
H a b. India, Ceylon, Assam, ’Chittagong ( B lyth) , “
This Peafowl " says Jerdon inhabits the whole of India proper, being replaced In Assam and the countries to the e a s t# a n o th e r
B H H H H H H U jm g 'i B especially delighting, id hilly and mountainous districts y.ahd in the more open
and l i e l : country wooded ravines and river-banks are the never-failing resort. It comes forth, to the open glades and fields to feed,
¿ ’the m o i n g and evening, r e ti r in g ,! ! the jungles f^ ^ m . d m - i n g ^ t l i e l l j t h e dUyshand roosting at night on high trees.
M j j l B W i N e i l g h e r a ^ ^ » ,inountam.regions m Southern India to 8000 feet or so o f . * « # ! but it does, not ascend the
Himalayas {at all events, in Sikim) beyond 2000 feet. In many parts,of th e country it is almost domesticated, entering villages and
roosting on tile hu ts, and it is venerated by the natives in many districts. Many,, Hindoo temples Save large docks of them; indeed
shooting it i%-forb;idden,'in som,e Hindoo! states. , The Peafowl breeds, accor(hffi«o.tlie locality,1 from April till October, generally,
in Southern India towards tlic close of the rains, laying from four to eight or .Uincieggs'hi some iscqncstered spot. The Peacock,
during the rainy season raises bis tad vertically and with it * f course the lengthened train spreading it out, and strutting about
I b H M B B B sig l ,t to mme s u d d e n ly o n twenty or thirty Peafowl, itiffe Itngledidisjdaying their, gorgeous .trains, and strutting
„bout in all the poinp of! pride before the gratified females. The train of course increases in length for many years at each'
successive monlt.;, lliut it .appears ,tii. Ilnr 'slieil very .irregularly. . 1 ' ^ ! . .
M r / * * "'andot be, said to B . A r o r o j M l e withaSp-tsmen ih India«x et few. can Peacock whirring
™ i tT w h e i hunting for f i l l , game, yet Pea chick arelwell worth a mornings shikar for the, table, and a plump young Peahen, if
I M M M M M B B I I — — I Peacock Is only fit to make s o u p |o |, A bird merely winged will often'
escape by the fleetnCSs , I ■ They, generally rao%-on particular | £ f e and.Sy ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ I * « 'theyscan
readily be shot. Peafowl are easily caught in snares (common hair nooses), and are generally brought m alive, for sale, in numbers
M H H districts where they abound In confinement they will dc troy nnkes and other re p tile , and in their wild state feed
.much on various insects and grubs, also on flower-bildsi^ d M p p g.’ sliOOts, as well as on grain. I , .
H B B Lieut.--BiirgpeSi in his notes ,on the ,hahits»;isome! Indian birdsd^Sbound in the jungles clothing the slopes
B H H and in': s® e , wooded districts ih life interior. - In the Deccan; iM th e wooded :hilly, portions, df the- districts of
J a u ih a f r and S co fiftth ey were I — 11 a remarkably! pretty sight it was to see them s |» n g : about near th e gram-staclfs, or
runmhff along I f bushy banks ofjfthefinullahs ..They are -«¡ryfbirds, and lead the •sportsmanJ atgOod, chase when once they take
t o l f c w spurs o f f c f c ’ills, up wliiih they run with,incredible swiftness. The » p l a n togeetme them i s | | wait for ^their
roosting time; under the trees to which they resort. Thick mango t e c s appear to be their favourite resf.ng.pli.ces. Teafowl breed
' at the eml of the monsoon, in the months of September and October, laying I am told from three to five eggs, of a bofiy white.
P P > The w — B — o f t g r a s t f e & i e d ofg e -.g ro u n d
-T h e Peafowl,n says Oaptam H L. I r b y g s f o u n d in n um b e rs wbereyer-there is «any woody jungle!; fb r e e ^ dunng^the mny
season The male bird begins and does not fully rega™ it till 'March or Apnl. The Peafowl
r em a ln sK in g the M * the .day — ™ *> «*•«<«■ “ the B t0' m°InmK and ’
H,e cock bird in the brccdlog-time, may be In , I calling throughout the night. The number of Peafowl m the Terai ] « | K M r
Ivhvrcemir is wonderful; they are much tamer there thm. in any other part of Ondli. The young are very diffic.lt to re ar: at least,
I could” not ncceedj they lived f * is- months, but then pined off. I saw some splendidly coloured hybrids in Calcutta, between this
bird and the Malayan Peafowl, P . muticus ”
■ c a n t Beavan safe This bird isMwiy ersa lly k n ow n that further .description is almost useless, and I need only mentlim,a native idea
legarding it—tl.nt In the jungles frequented bj tigers Peafowl arc sore lo abound, In fact the sight of one in the jungle is a pretty
’ ¿ . s i g h riT me , e in th e , party to say ' Vou may now look on. for .a tiger.' I doubt'myself if,there Is really any connexion
between the two, except that Peafowl are v e ^ wafy lards, and perhaps the tiger is naturally attracted to tliem.by them quickness