CURRASSOWS AND GUANS 137 



Over most of the country where the wild turkeys were once plenty 

 they have now become scarce or extinct, but in a few places may 

 still be found in something like their original abundance, living 

 much as their ancestors lived, breeding unmolested, strolling through 

 the woods in flocks, and gathering at night in goodly numbers in 

 their favorite roosting-places. Perhaps the best of these undevastated 

 regions are on the big stock ranches of southern Texas, where the 

 birds are protected not by loosely formed and unenforced game laws, 

 but by the care of owners of large ranches, who would as soon 

 think of exterminating their herds of cattle as of shooting more than 

 the normal increase of game under their control. Here, at "least 

 through the breeding season, the turkeys are not more wary than 

 many of the other large birds, and as we surprised them in the half 

 open mesquite woods along the Nueces River would rarely fly, 

 merely sneaking into the thickets, or at most running from us. 



The ranchmen say that the turkeys always select trees over water 

 to roost in when possible, and no doubt they do it for protection in 

 this region where foxes, coyotes, and wildcats abound. On the 

 edge of the flooded bottoms of the Nueces River they roosted in the 

 partially submerged huisache trees. A loud gobble just at dusk led 

 us to their cover, and crouching low to get the skj- for a background 

 we could see the big forms coming in singly or in twos or threes, 

 and hear the strong wing beats as they passed on to alight in the 

 huisaches out in the water. When the noise of their wings and the 

 rattling of branches had subsided, with a few gobbles from different 

 quarters they settled down for the night. The next morning, as 

 the darkness began to thin and a light streak appeared in the east, a 

 long loud gobble broke the stillness, followed by gobble after gob- 

 ble from awakening birds in different parts of the bottoms, and 

 before it was half daylight the heavy ichish ichisJi of big wings 

 passed overhead, as the turkeys with strong, rapid flight took their 

 way back to the higher ridges. Vkhnon Bailky. 



FAMILY CRACIDiE: CURRASSOWS AND GUANS 



GENUS ORTALIS. 



311. Ortalis vetula maccalli Baird. Chachalaca. 



AdnUa. — Upi)iT parts plain olivf. sHjilitly lilossed with bronzy STPen ; 

 heafl aufl nt*ck tin^tMl witli dull slaty ; tail f.ui-sliaped. from dusky bronzy 

 g^repn to l)lne black, fan, except for middle feathers, broadly bordered 

 witli wliite ; bare skin on throat oran{;>» : chest dull jj-rayish pfreen ; rest of 

 under parts dinfjv bnffv brownish, deepeninpf on under tail coverts 

 Length : l<.t.7.')-24.0(», win'','- 7.r)f)-8.r)0, tail '.t.(XVl().r)(). 



Distribution. — liesidejit in northeastern Mexico, from Vera Cniz north 

 to lower Kio Grande vallt^y in Tr-xas. 



Nest. — Usually in a twij,'--and-leaf-lilled cavity of a mestjuite-tree. 

 Eggs : ^^ or 4, white, rough, and strongly granulated. 



