tions in the gardens and orchards that chance to be near their native woods and

places of resort. For further particulars I refer my young friends to the abridged works of Buffon, and other ingenious naturalists that have written on this subject.

193

CHAPTER VII.

THE PEACOCK AND HIS ATTENDANT.

SOME years ago my sister Sarah and I were on a visit at the house of a widow lady, residing in a delightful part of Norfolk, where the county is divided from that of Suffolk by the river Waveney. During our stay at Cpark, we received an invitation to spend a day with a young married lady, who resided in the same neighbourhood. After dinner we amused ourselves by walking up and down the long grassy terrace that bordered the moat, and admiring the picturesque appearance of a remarkably tall Babylonian willow, that drooped over the moat, sweeping its graceful foliage into the water, as if to woo its tumbling shadow in the glassy mirror be

low. Our attention was soon attracted by the sight of a peacock of most splendid appearance, which, on the approach of his mistress, descended from one of the upper boughs of the willow, and advanced towards us with slow, majestic steps, erecting his crest and arching his neck, as if to display his gorgeous colours to our view; like a court lady, he seemed somewhat to need the assistance of a train-bearer, as the longest and finest of his feathers were sadly injured from sweeping the dusty ground.

Though residing in the country all my life, I had seen but one of these rare birds before, and that chanced to be a white one. I remember being charmed with his beauty, though he certainly appeared to considerable disadvantage, as he lodged in a coalhouse, or rather, coal-hole; but in spite of the embellishment of the coal dust, he was regarded by my sisters and myself as an object of great interest and admiration. The feathers of his crest, back, and train,

were shaded with a beautiful pearly white, differing in texture from the rest of the plumage, and resembling the richest and finest silk damask in appearance. The owner of this rare bird had once been a farmer of some opulence, but owing to a variety of losses, he had been compelled to quit his farm, and retire to humble lodgings in a neighbouring village.

The peacock, which had been the delight of himself and his wife during their prosperity, now became the companion of their adversity; neither being disposed to part from him, though they had no convenience for his accommodation, not even so much as a court-yard for him to walk about in.

I fancy the poor white peacock, that had formerly enjoyed the unrestrained range of fields and groves, did not much relish the change in his circumstances, which must have been most annoying to a bird so fond of liberty; besides the indignity and mortification of being forced to hide his

beauty in so vile a prison as a dirty coalhole, in which he had scarcely room sufficient to turn himself about without great inconvenience.

Our dairy-maid had formerly lived servant with the farmer and his wife, and she obtained mamma's permission to take her young ladies to see the white peacock. I was a very little girl at the time, but I well remember joining my voice to the general entreaty for the emancipation of the peacock from his odious place of confinement. The farmer regretted he had no better lodgings for his favourite bird; and as he was now too poor even to afford to buy dress-corn for its consumption, he said if we would promise to be kind to him, and use him well, he would give us the peacock. This generous offer we heard with infinite satisfaction, but dared not accept it until we had consulted our parents. Many were the tears we shed when papa positively forbade us to receive the peacock,