332 BULLETIN" 162, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



little or no gloss. The ground colors vary from " pale ochraceous- 

 buff " or " pale pinkish buff " to " cartridge buff " or buffy white. 

 They are more or less evenly marked with small spots and fine dots 

 of " light vinaceous-drab," " pale purple-drab," " clay color," or 

 " pinkish buff." The measurements of 56 eggs average 62.6 by 44.6 

 millimeters; the eggs showing the four extremes measure 68.5 by 46, 

 64.5 by 48.5, 59 by 45, and 64.7 by 42.4 millimeters. 



Young. — The period of incubation is 28 days and this duty is 

 performed by the female alone in seclusion. The male does not even 

 know the location of the nest. The following is from Audubon's 

 (1840) matchless account: 



The mother will not leave her eggs, when near hatching, under any circum- 

 stances, while life remains. She will even allow an enclosure to be made around 

 her, and thus suffer imprisonment, rather than abandon them. I once witnessed 

 the hatching of a brood of Turkeys, which I watched for the purpose of securing 

 them together with the parent. I concealed myself on the ground within a 

 very few feet, and saw her raise herself half the length of her legs, look 

 anxiously upon the eggs, cluck with a sound peculiar to the mother on such 

 occasions, carefully remove each half-empty shell, and with her bill caress and 

 dry the young birds, that already stood tottering and attempting to make their 

 way out of the nest. Yes ; I have seen this, and have left mother and young to 

 better care than mine could have proved, to the care of their Creator and mine. 

 I have seen them all emerge from the shell, and, in a few moments after, 

 tumble, roll, and push .ach other forward with astonishing and inscrutable 

 instinct. 



Before leaving the nest with her young brood, the mother shakes herself in a 

 violent manner, picks and adjusts the feathers about her belly, and assumes 

 quite a different aspect. She alternately inclines her eyes obliquely upwards 

 and sideways, stretching out her neck, to discover hawks or other enemies, 

 spreads her wings a little as she walks, and softly clucks to keep her innocent 

 offspring close to her. They move slowly along and, as the hatching generally 

 takes place in the afternoon, they frequently return to the nest to spend the 

 first night there. After this they remove to some distance, keeping on the 

 highest undulated grounds, the mother dreading rainy weather, which is 

 extremely dangerous to the young in this tender state, when they are only 

 covered by a kind of soft hairy down of surprising delicacy. In very rainy sea- 

 sons, Turkeys are scarce, for if once completely wetted the young seldom re- 

 cover. To prevent the disastrous effects of rainy weather the mother, like a 

 skilful physician, plucks the buds of the spice-wood bush and gives them to her 

 young. 



In about a fortnight the young birds, which had previously rested on the 

 ground, leave it and fly at night to some very large low branch, where they 

 place themselves under the deeply curved wings of their kind and careful parent, 

 dividing themselves for that purpose into two nearly equal parties. After this 

 they leave the woods during the day and approach the natural glades or prairies 

 in search of strawberries and subsequently of dewberries, blackberries, and 

 grasshoppers, thus obtaining abundant food and enjoying the beneficial influence 

 of the sun's rays. They roll themselves in deserted ants' nests to clear their 

 growing feathers of the loose scales and prevent ticks and other vermin from 



