the Ocellated Turkey. 249 



which are amongst the favorite articles of food to our turkey, 

 because their native country does not produce them, but they 

 eat Indian corn, berries, ants, etc., of all which our turkey is 

 very fond. Their manner of flight is the same ; alternate 

 quick flapping their wings, and soaring. Their flesh has the 

 same appearance, but I think that the flav^or is not so good as 

 that of the common turkey. 



There is another occasional habit of theirs, which I state 

 on the authority of others, but the truth of which I cannot 

 well doubt, viz. ; that of building their nests in trees. Mr. 

 Catherwood, when at Palenque, shot an old female turkey 

 from her nest, placed at a considerable height from the ground ; 

 and the Indians, who were with him at the time, caught four 

 of the young, (several of which Mr. C. observed to fall from 

 the nest soon after the old one,) which they took home with 

 them to rear. Now, in this case, one might say that it is 

 very possible, Mr. C. might have been deceived by the 

 fact of the turkey being, when shot, on or near the nest of 

 some other large bird ; but on the other hand, it is hardly 

 jxDssible that Indians, accustomed from childhood, to observ- 

 ing natural objects, and the habits and appearance of animals 

 about them, could have been deceived in the appearance of 

 the young of a bird, forming so important an item in their ar- 

 ticles of food, and of which they had undonbtedly seen a 

 great number. Besides which, I was told, by persons likely 

 to know, that this bird did occasionally build its nest in trees 

 to their certain knowledge, and giving as a reason for it that 

 it was in situations liable to be flooded by the heavy rains. 

 Now as we know that there are very well authenticated in- 

 stances of other birds, whose usual habit is to place their nest 

 on the ground, doing this same thing, one of which instances 

 rests upon the authority of Mr. Audubon, viz. ; that of the 

 gulls on one of the small islands near the coast of Labrador, 

 in consequence of the persecution which they have met with ; 

 why may not the same be the case with this bird, and for a 

 similar cause ? The woods about Palenque abound with tigers, 

 wild cats, snakes, &/C., and are also very liable to be over- 

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