061. MS M.81, fols. 56v–57r

Quail (left)
The bestiary tells us that the quail, depicted here with red and green feathers, was a migratory bird that suffers from the falling sickness (epilepsy), and eats poisonous seeds.

Peacock and Cock (right)

This peacock may reflect comparisons of the bird with tail open to prideful preachers, and the advice offered by bestiaries that the peacock “keep its tail down.” Below, a cock illustrates a description of the power of the cock’s crow, thought to calm storms and frighten robbers.