212 WILD TURKEY 



have been bred with so much care, . that in England, as we read m 

 ancient chj'onicles, their rapid increase rendered them attainable at 

 country feasts, where they were a much esteemed dish, as early as 1585. 

 Europeans conveyed them to all their colonies, and thus were they 

 gradually introduced into Asia, Africa, and even Oceanica. 



The French distinguished them by the name of Coq et Poule d' Inde, 

 (Cock and Hen from India), because they were natives of the West 

 Indies ; subsequently, for the sake of brevity, they called them Dindor.^ 

 an appellation which is yet retained. The English name is still worse, 

 as it conveys the false idea that the Turkey originated in Asia, owing 

 to the ridiculous habit, formerly prevalent, of calling every foreign 

 object by the name of Turk, Indian, &c. 



Although the Turkey is generally considered a stupid bird, it is 

 probable that his intellectual qualifications have not been fairly appre- 

 ciated, as he is susceptible of very lively emotions. If any new and 

 remarkable object attracts the attention of the male, his whole appear- 

 ance and demeanor undergo a sudden and extraordinary change : 

 relinquishing his peaceful aspect, he boldly raises himself, his head and 

 neck become turgid, and the wattles, from an influx of blood, glow 

 with vivid red ; he bristles up the feathers of the neck and back, his 

 tail is vertically raised and expanded like a fan, and the wing feathers 

 are extended until they touch the ground. Thus transformed, he 

 utters a low, humming sound, and advances with a grave and haughty 

 strut, occasionally accelerating his steps, and, at the same time, rubbing 

 the tips of the primary feathers violently against the earth. During 

 these manceuvres, he now and then utters a harsh, interrupted, and disso- 

 nant note, apparently expressive of the highest degree of rage : this cry, 

 sounding like rooTc^ oorook, oorook, will be repeated at the pleasure of 

 any person who should whistle, or strike the ear of the bird by any other 

 acute or unusual sound. The appearance of any red cloth is sure to 

 awaken his anger, and induce him to rush fearlessly on the disagreeable 

 object, exerting all his power to injure or destroy it. 



In connection with the peculiar character of this bird, we may advan- 

 tageously quote the sentiments of the great Franklin, who expressed a 

 regret that the Turkey should not have been preferred to the Bald 

 Eagle as an emblem of the United States. Certainly this Eagle is a 

 tyrannical and pusillanimous bird, by no means an appropriate repre- 

 sentative of a great and magnanimous nation, as was the Eagle chosen 

 by the Romans. 



" Others object to the Bald Eagle," says Franklin, in one of his let- 

 ters, " as looking too much like a Dindon^ or Turkey. For my own 

 part, I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen as the representative 

 of our country ; he is a bird of bad moitil character ; he does not get 

 his living honestly ; you may have seen him perched on some dead tree, 



