MR LAYRAM should be made aware that peafowl have been happily domiciled and have flourished in England since the time of Henry VIII and before (Letters April 4).

They are a hardy and resilient species, a fact evident from their continued existence into the 21st century. So much, then, for their alleged lack of 'adaptability'.

York's own peacock population has been living and breeding in the Museum Gardens for many years without any human intervention whatsoever, save perhaps the occasional crust from someone's lunch.

It is inconceivable that they would be producing young if the prevailing environment was as 'hostile' as Mr Layram would have us believe.

He tells us that peacocks 'wander out into traffic'. So what? So do jaywalkers! In any case, I am not aware of one single road traffic accident having been occasioned by a peacock.

As regards the noise factor, I presume Mr Layram is referring to the call of the male bird during the mating season. While this sound might be a minor and short-lived inconvenience, it is in no way conducive to the state of 'turmoil' that he lays claim to.

Perhaps he would like to quantify for us the precise nature of the 'damage' he supposes the peacocks carry out in the Museum Gardens.

Here are some examples of behaviour by the non-avian frequenters of the gardens that I witnessed recently: the stubbing out of cigarettes on the trees, the uprooting and throwing around of daffodil and other bulbs and the riding of mountain bikes through shrubs and growing plants.

Any advance on that, Mr Layram?

Dr K Davis,

Mason's Court,

Cockermouth.

Updated: 10:50 Tuesday, April 17, 2001