Mr. Bennett, who resided much in the south-east of the island, ascribes the rarity of serpents in the jungle to the abundance of the wild peafowl, whose partiality to young snakes renders them the chief destroyers of these reptiles.
"Sketches of the Natural History of Ceylon"
J. Emerson Tennent
One can hardly imagine the splendour of the scene described by Colonel Williamson, as seen by him in the Jungleterry District in India, when, being engaged shooting these beautiful fowl, he estimates that not fewer than twelve or fifteen hundred peafowl of various sizes were within sight of him for nearly an hour.
"The Romance of Natural History, Second Series"
Philip Henry Gosse
The villages in these parts are literally crowded with peafowl.
"Rambles and Recollections of an Indian Official"
William Sleeman