THE PEACOCK.

THE common peacock is universally
known, and its matchless plumage seems
to combine all that delights the eye in
the soft and delicate tints of the finest
flowers, all that dazzles it in the spark-
ling lustre of the gems, and all that asto-
nishes it in the grand display of the rain-
bow. The ordinary length of the peacock,
from the tip of the bill to that of the tail,
is about four feet. Its finely shaped head
is adorned with a tuft, consisting of
twenty-four feathers, whose slender shafts
are furnished with webs only at the ends,
painted with the most exquisite green,

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