Daily national Democrat., 1858-09-24
DAILY DEMOCRAT
A Peacock at IdIewiId.

readers of the Home Journal, gives the
following interesting account of a recent
addition to the Idlewild family:
But, from the smallest bird in our
family, let us now pass to the largest
from the dear little wren, who meas.
ures but two to three inches; to Narcs.
sus, the superb great peacock, who,
from the point of his stretched out bill
to the tip ofhis extended tail, measures
the magnificent length Of eight feet and
three inches You may think he needs
train-bearer, with such a monstrous
continuation and only two legs; and,
indeed, | should not venture to record
so incredible an extent for one birds
feathers, except after careful measure
ment of him in the presence of a large
company of witnesses. AS he paraded
over the lawn, and stretched out his
neck to peck at clover blossom, the
other day, we marked carefully the
two points between which extended his
beauty-measuring the distance after
he had passed on, and finding him to be
thus longer than General Scott by twen-
ty seven inches. 4 X
With the movements and manners
of our own most stately Narcissus, the
children Of ldlewild are boundless
ly amused. When he was first intro
duced, (by the son of our kind neighbor,
MIR. Charles Morton, who sent him to
us on reading the desire expressed for
one in the Home Journal, J we were ap-
prehensive various possible mishaps;
that he might stray away; that the
dogs might worry him; that the eclip-
sed turkey cocks might envy or assail
him; or, that life of splendid ccliba-
cy (as we could hear of no pea-heu any
way marriageable in the country about
might not be altogether to his TASTE
Thus far our fears seem to have been
quite superhuous, however. He is sub
ject, apparently, to no one of the fail
ings Of domestic animals, while the
treatment of him, by all the varieties of
the feathered race, as well as by the
dogs and cats, pigs, COWS, and horses,
a kind of quiet and respectful avoid
ance, showing an instructive and ire
sistible acknowledgment of his natural
sovereignty. The alarmed civiIity with
which Carl and Goldy made way, the
first time they met him on the gravel.
walk, was particularly surprising to us
all.
1t was on the second morning after
his arrival that we first tholght of ma
ming him after the gentleman who died
of love for himself. To our utter as
tonishment, on coming down to break
fast, we found the new peacock in tran
quill possession of the drawing ROOM
He had walked in at a window, and, be-
fore mirror which reaches to the floor,
he now stood complacently admiring
his own beauty-not in the slightest
degree disturbed in his self-worship, Ell
ther, by our entering the room. After
turning round and round, and surveying
himself on all sides, he slowly paraded
away, though not again to the window
His march, with his long train sweep
ing like a rainbow over the carpet, was
toward the hall in the interior of the
house, and thence he turned by an open
door into the library, where, in another
glass which reaches to the floor, he took
a fresh survey of his own beauty
Vauting up soon afterwards to one of
the elbows of my especial armchair, at
the western window, de here passed
most of the forenoon; for, curious to
see what he would do, we ordered the
servants to leave him the freedom of
the rooms on the lower floor uninter-
rupted, and the library, with its sub
dued light and more quiet atmosphere
evidently suited him best.
1t is really very curious how naturally
lordly this fine creature is. In the clus-
ter of stable buildings, with all their
variety of life and movement, he finds
no attraction. There is no company
for him in grooms and their horses, SER
vant-women of their cows and poultry.
He stays about the porticoes of the
drawing room and library-most Of the
day, Of course, alone, but taking advan-
tage of the first open bird or window,
to walk in and be at home among the
books and sofas He fears no one. He
looks straight in the eyes as he balances
on the railing while you pass. Nothing
could be more aristocratically self-as-
sured than his gate and behavior, no
thing more royalty imperative than the
tap with his beak on the kitchen window
of the basement, when he want his lit
tie luxuries from the cook. His voice
is not very musical, to be sure, but ther
kings not often sing; and, if we believe
in transmigration, we might easily think
we recognized, in the mien and manner
of this proud bird the concious memory
of power once absolute. What monarch
of the past is expiating his crimes un
der this peacock purgatory of self alb
sorption and silence?