no ALLEN'S naturalist's LIBRARY. 



of the hens. The love-season begins in Florida about the 

 middle of February and lasts for about three months, and 

 during this period the gobblers frequently utter their call and 

 are then easily decoyed within gun-shot. Native hunters have 

 informed me that the hens roost by themselves at this season 

 of the year." 



Nest and Eggs. — Similar to those of M. america7ia described 

 above. 



in. THE HONDURAS TURKEY. MELEAGRIS OCELLATA. 



Melcagris ocel/ata, Cuv. Mem. Mus. d'Hist. Nat. vi. p. i, pi. i. 

 (1820); Temm. PI. Col. v. pi. 16 [No. 112] (1824); Elliot, 

 Monogr. Phasian. i. pi. 33 (1872); Ogilvie-Grant, Cat. B. 

 Brit. Mus. xxii. p. 391 (1893). 

 Meleagris aureus, Vieillot, Tabl. Encycl. Meth. i. p. 361 (1823). 

 (Plate XXXI.) 

 Adult Male. — Feathers of mantle, scapulars, chest, and 

 flanks brass-green, shading into purplish-black towards the 

 extremity, which is margined by a deep black line and fringed 

 with greenish-copper ; ends of upper tail-coverts and ocelli on 

 tail-feathers greenish-blue, shot with purple ; tail-feathers widely 

 mat-gined ivith rich reddish-copper changing to green; breast 

 and belly black, margined with copper-red. Naked skin of head 

 and neck blue, scarlet round the eye, and ornamented with red 

 warts, the largest being situated between the eyes ; erectile 

 fleshy process on forehead blue. Tarsus armed with a long, 

 stout, sharp spur. Total length, about -^^i inches ; wing, 14*2 ; 

 tail, 13-1 ; tarsus, 4-4. 



Adult Female. — Like the male, but less brilliantly coloured, and 

 the ocelli at the ends of the tail-feathers much reduced ; the 

 erectile process very small, and the great spurs represented 

 by small wart-like knobs. Total length, about T^^i inches ; 

 wing, 14-2 ; tail, 13-1 ; tarsus, 4*4. 



Range.— Central America; Guatemala, Yucatan, and British 

 Honduras. 



