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(Recorded in the Lower Category of *Bie Lu*)

[Names] Yue Niao (Bird of Yue).
Li Shizhen states: "Kong" means large. Li Qiao called it "Nan Ke" (Southern Guest). It is referred to as "Moyouluo" in Sanskrit texts.

[Collection and Explanation]
Tao Hongjing states: It is produced in Guang and Yi provinces. Medical practitioners rarely use it.
Su Gong states: It is abundant in Jiaozhou and Guangzhou, but non-existent in Jiannan.
Li Shizhen states: According to *Nanfang Yiwu Zhi* (Records of Strange Things from the South), peacocks are very numerous in Jiaozhi, Leizhou, and Luozhou, living on high mountains among tall trees. They are as large as geese, stand three or four chi tall, and are no smaller than cranes. They have slender necks and arched backs, with three feathers about one cun long on their heads. They fly in flocks of dozens, roosting and wandering on hills and ridges. In the morning, their calls harmonize with each other; the sound is called "Du Hu". Female peacocks have short tails without golden-green luster. Male peacocks have small tails at three years old, which grow to two or three chi by five years old. They molt in summer and regrow feathers in spring. From the back to the tail, there are circular patterns of five colors, golden-green, intertwined like coins. Peacocks cherish their tails; when dwelling in mountains, they first choose a place to rest their tails. When it rains, the heavy tails prevent them from flying high, so people in the south capture them. Some secretly watch for their passage and break their tails alive to offer as local specialties. If a peacock looks back, its golden-green luster diminishes instantly. Mountain dwellers raise young peacocks as decoys. Alternatively, eggs are stolen and incubated by hens, fed pig intestines and raw vegetables. Upon hearing people clap hands and sing/dance, the peacock dances. Its nature is jealous; it will pey anyone wearing ornate clothing. *Bei Hu Lu* states: Peacocks do not pair up but conceive through the connection of sound and shadow. Or, if the female calls downwind and the male calls upwind, conception also occurs. *Ji Yue Ji* states: Although peacocks have males and females, when preparing to lay eggs, they climb trees and cry mournfully; snakes arrive to mate, thus their blood and gallbladder can still harm humans. *Qin Jing* states that "when a peacock sees a snake, it coils and leaps," which refers to this phenomenon.

Meat
[Properties and Flavor] Salty, cool, slightly toxic. Chen Cangqi states: Non-toxic.
[Indications] Resolves drug poisoning and gu poison (*Ri Hua Ben Cao*).

[Elucidation]
Li Shizhen states: According to *Ji Wen*, many ethnic groups in the valleys consume it frequently, sometimes making it into dried meat. It tastes like chicken and can resolve hundred poisons. After consuming its meat, subsequent administration of other medicines becomes ineffective because the meat itself resolves toxins. Furthermore, *Xu Bowu Zhi* records that Li Weigong said: Geese startle ghosts, peacocks ward off evil, and zhen birds repel fire.

Blood
[Indications] Drinking it raw effectively resolves gu poison (*Ri Hua Ben Cao*).

[Elucidation]
Li Shizhen states: Xiong Taigu said that since peacocks mate with snakes, their blood and gallbladder harm humans; whereas *Ri Hua Ben Cao* and *Yiwu Zhi* state that their blood and head can resolve major toxins, which seems contradictory. Since peacock meat can resolve toxins, why does only the blood harm? This is likely analogous to pheasants becoming toxic when mating with snakes, but being non-toxic when snakes hibernate.

Feces
[Properties and Flavor] Slightly cold.
[Indications] Treats leukorrhea and difficult urination in women (*Bie Lu*). Treats metrorrhagia and leukorrhea; can be applied externally to malignant sores (*Ri Hua Ben Cao*).

Tail
[Properties and Flavor] Toxic. Chen Cheng states: Do not allow entry into the eyes, as it causes blindness and visual obscuration.