was thinking of
the night of the storm, when all the Sheep and Lambs huddled together in
the meadow and watched the clouds, and thought that they were birds and
dropped shining worms from their beaks.

Then the Peacock, who understood the Sheep language perfectly, said,
"Paon! I am no cloud-bird. I am a Peacock." He said this in a very
haughty way, as though to be a Peacock were the grandest thing in the
world, far better than having one's home in the sky and bringing showers
to refresh the thirsty earth-people.

The Turkey Gobbler never could stand it to have others speak in that way
when he was around, so he thought he would show the newcomer how
important he was. He drew up his neck and puffed out his chest; he
pulled his skin muscles by thinking about them, and that made his
feathers stand on end; next he dropped his wings until their tips
touched the ground; then he slowly spread his tail. "Pffff!" said he. "I
am no Peacock. I am a Turkey Gobbler."

The Hen Turkeys looked at each other with much pride. They were a little
afraid of him themselves, but they liked to have him show the newcomer
that Turkeys are important people. Their children looked at each other
and murmured, "Isn't the Gobbler fine though? Guess the Peacock will
wish now that he hadn't put on airs."

But the Peacock did not seem to feel at all sorry. He stood and looked
at them all without saying a word, and they all wondered what he was
thinking. Then a Duckling who stood near him exclaimed, "Look at his
train! Oh, look at his train!" Everybody looked and saw all those
beautiful long feathers rising into the air. Up and up they went, and
spreading as they rose, until there was a wonderful great circle of them
back of his body and reaching far above his head. The Gobbler's spread
tail looked as small beside this as a Dove's egg would beside that of a
Goose.

"Paon!" said the Peacock. "I am no Turkey Gobbler. I am a Peacock."

"Pffff!" said the Gobbler. Then he turned to the Hen Turkeys. "My
dears," he said, "I think it is time that we walked along. The children
should not be allowed to see and speak with any stray fowl that comes
along. We cannot be too particular about that." Then he stalked off,
with the meek Hen Turkeys following and the children lagging behind.
They did so want to stay and see the Peacock, and they thought the
Ducklings and Goslings were much luckier than they.

The Geese were delighted with the newcomer, and hoped he w