Miscellaneous, 109 



it becomes necessary that one of them should receive a new name, 

 and a question then arises to which of the two should it be given. 

 My opinion is, that it will be better to retain the term Gallopavo for 

 the North American species, and to call the present one mexicana, 

 after the country of which it is a native. Linnaeus' Meleagris Gallo- 

 pavo is founded upon the Gallopavo sylvestris of Brisson's * Ornitho- 

 logie,' vol. i. p. 162, and upon Ray's New England Wild Turkey, both 

 of which names appertain to the North American species; consequently 

 the term mexicana would be a fit appellation for the present bird. 

 I .may mention, that it is the only example of a Turkey I have ever 

 seen from Mexico, and that it was brought to this country by the 

 late Mr. Floresi, a gentleman whose energy as a collector was only 

 equalled by the honourable career of a moderately long life, during 

 which he was connected with the Real del Monte mines in Mexico. 

 Mr. Floresi travelled himself, and kept collectors, who penetrated 

 into the remotest parts of that country ; and many were the fine 

 species he by this means communicated to the world of science. I 

 may mention the splendid Picus imperialism Calurus neoxenus, and 

 many Humming Birds, as some of the species which but for his 

 researches would have been unknown to us. 



In size this new Turkey exceeds that of the largest specimens of 

 the North American species ; but it has shorter legs, a considerably 

 larger and more broadly expandedtail, conspicuously zoned with brown 

 and black, and terminated with white ; the tail-coverts are very pro- 

 fusely developed, largely tipped with white, and bounded posteriorly 

 with a narrow line of black, their basal portions being rich metallic 

 bronze. The same arrangement of colouring also prevails on the 

 feathers of the lower part of the flanks ; and on the under tail-coverts, 

 where it is particularly fine ; the centre of the back is black, with 

 green, purplish and red reflexions ; the back of the neck, upper part 

 of the back, and shoulders, are in some lights bronzy, in others the 

 colour of fire ; the greater wing-coverts are uniform bronzy brown, 

 forming a conspicuous band across the wing ; all the primaries are 

 crossed by mottled bars of blackish brown and white, freckled with 

 brown ; all the under surface is fiery copper, intensely brilliant in 

 certain lights, and becoming darker towards the flanks. 



Total length 4 feet 4 inches ; bill 2^ inches ; wing 21| inches ; tail 

 16 inches, and when spread about 24 inches across ; tarsi 6 J. 



In the Report of an expedition down the Zuni and Colorado Rivers 

 by Captain L. Sitgreaves, lately published in America, the following 

 passage occurs at p. 94, in reference to Wild Turkeys : — 



*' They are also found in New Mexico, in the neighbourhood of 

 the copper-mines. I am told by our oflicers that those found there 

 are of enormous size. Mr. Leroux, our guide, informed me that the 

 Turkeys of the Gila River were diff'erent from those found east of 

 the Rio Grande, and that they have much white about them." 



These are doubtless identical with the bird under consideration. 



Since the above remarks were in type, I have been informed by 

 J. H. Gurney, Esq., M.P., that he some years since received the 

 skin of a Wild Turkey from the neighbourhood of the Real del 



