When depositing her eggs the turkey always approaches the nest with ex- 

 treme caution, scarcely ever taking the same course twice; and when about to 

 leave them, covers them carefully with dry leaves, so that it is very difficult for a 

 person who may have seen the bird to discover the nest. Indeed, few turkeys" 

 nests are found, unless the bird has been suddenly started from them, or a cun- 

 ning lynx, fox, or crow has sucked the eggs and left their shells scattered about. 



When a man passes within sight of a female, while laying or sitting, she 

 never moves unless she knows she has been discovered, but crouches lower until 

 he has passed. 1 have frequently approached within five or six paces of a nest of 

 which 1 was previously aware, on assuming an air of carelessness, or whistling 

 or talking to myself, the female remaining undisturbed ; whereas if I went cau- 

 tiously toward it she would never suffer me to approach within twenty paces, 

 but would run oft', with her tail spread on one side, to a distance of twenty or 

 thirty yards, when, assuming a stately gait, she would walk about deliberately, 

 uttering every now and then a cluck. They seldom abandon their nest when ii 

 has been discovered by men ; but I believe never go near it again when a snake 

 or other animal has sucked any of the eggs. 



Several hen turkeys sometimes associate together, [ beliexe for their mutual 

 safety, deposit their eggs in the same nest, and rear their broods together. I 

 once found three sitting on forty-two eggs. In such cases, the common nest 

 is always watched by one of the females, so that no crow, raven, or perhaps even 

 polecat, dares approach it. 



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

 stances while life remains. She will e\en allow an inclosure to be made around 

 her, and thus suffer imprisonment rather than abandon them. 



I once witnessed the hatching of a brood of turkeys. I concealed myself on 

 the ground within a few feet, and saw the mother raise herself half the length of 

 her legs, look an.xiously 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 their 

 way out of the nest. I have seen them all emerge from the shell, and in a few 

 moments tumble, roll, and push each other forward, with astonishing and in- 

 scrutable instinct. 



Before leaving the nest wiili her young brood, the mother shakes herself 

 in a violent manner, picks and adjusts the feathers about the lower side of her 

 body, and assumes quite a different aspect. She alternately inclines her eyes 

 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 offsprings 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 undulating 

 ground, the mother dreading rainy weather, which is extremely dangerous to the 



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