The long train of the peacock would have been not only inconvenient but dangerous to the peahen during the period of incubation and whilst accompanying her young.
We may therefore infer that the length of the tail in the peacock and its shortness in the peahen are the result of the requisite variations in the male having been from the first transmitted to the male offspring alone.
See how the dear girl's life is coming back moment by moment--just like a peahen in summer when the first rainy breezes come.
The grass drops from the feeding doe; The peahen stops her dance; Pale, trembling leaves are falling slow, The tears of clinging plants.
The Prince, who had seemed to be dead, flushed from head to foot as the warmth of life came back to him; with one deep breath he woke, and found the little white peahen lying as if dead between his arms.
At the first beat of it within her breast, the peahen became transformed as all her sisters had been, and her own human form came back to her.
The firstpeahen answered, "Do not fear that I shall fail!
He lay quite still with his eyes shut, and when she reached the ground the peahen found him lying there, as it seemed to her fast asleep, with his white breast bare for the stroke of her beak.
So the youngest peahen came down from the tree, and the Prince laid his heart bare for her beak; but the bird could not find the will to peck it out.
And he unloosed his doublet, and opened his vest, making his breast bare for the peahen to come and peck out his heart.
The little white peahen crouched close down to the side of the dead Prince.
The peahen leaned down upon the Prince's breast, and there wailed without ceasing: then suddenly, piercing with her beak her own breast, she drew out her own living heart and laid it in the place where his had been.
For the poor peahenwas shaken with weeping, and her tears fell down in loud drops upon the ground.
In a moment or two a peahen followed and also stretched out her neck--the two long necks pointing at the black flapping wing.
Mr. Bartlett and Foley walked on ahead, discussing ways and means for protecting thepeahen against marauders.
We're going to set them under that peahen in the orchard.
Then the peahen said to the servant, 'When your master awakens tell him he ought to strike off the head of the nail from the lower part, and then he will find me.
Saying this the peahen disappeared with her sisters, and they had hardly disappeared when the prince awoke and asked his servant: "Have they been here?
But on this occasion the peahen bade the servant tell the prince that she would come again the following day for the last time.
Then the Peahen said to the servant, "When your master awakes, say to him, he must drive the upper wedge after the lower before he will be able to find me.
But the maiden sprang up quickly, transformed herself again into a Peahen and flew away, with all her companions following her, and so vanished.
At last he resolved to search for his little Peahen throughout the whole world, and never return home until he had found her.
Then she transformed herself into a Peahen and flew away with the others.
Next to the peahen a turkey hen makes the best mother for peachicks.
The peahen usually lays from four to six eggs--rarely more than eight or ten.
After a while the day began to break, and then the princess changed herself into a peahen again, and she and her sisters flew away, but she left with the prince three of the golden apples she had gathered.
The prince, however, would not listen to this, for he loved the goldenpeahen princess with all his heart, and her alone would he marry.
Run out to the terrace and see if the peahen has laid an egg.
Thereupon the peahen came down to her and said, 'Welcome and fair welcome!
They soon caught sight of the three animals and made for them, whereupon the peahen flew up into the tree and the antelope fled into the desert, but the duck abode paralysed (by fear).
The antelope was greatly moved at hearing of their comrade's fate, but dissuaded the peahen from her resolve to leave the island.
When the peahen saw what had betided the duck, she came down from the tree, saying, 'I see that misfortunes lie in wait for all.
See how the peahen turns to meet Her consort now with love-drawn feet.
See on the mountain slope above The peahen languishing with love.
