The OoLOGiST. 



VOL. X. ALBION, N. 



Some Notes on the Wild Turkey. 



Oue of the greatest gifts which Amer- 

 ica has bestowed upon the world is the 

 Turkey. 



We are told that it was first taken 

 from this country by a Spaniard who iu 

 the sixteenth century removed a few 

 from Mexico to Spain. Afterwards it 

 was imported intoFrauee and England. 

 These magnificent birds were once dis- 

 tributed generally throughout Eastern 

 and Central United States; but being 

 such large and handsome game birds 

 their forms have ilisappeared from 

 many parts of our country. A good 

 many years ago when this portion of 

 North Carolina was new, Turkeys were 

 abundant. But the single farms be- 

 came settlements and settlements grew 

 to towns, and lim went on the coun- 

 irj' became more and m hickly peo- 



pled. As white men increa'd Turkeys 

 decrease<l. Some years ago oy a new 

 stock law all cattle were obliged to be 

 kept up instead of being allowed to run 

 at large as they had hitherto done. 

 This was the salvation of the Tuikey, 

 for a tinui at least. The old outlying 

 sage Melds were no longer burned over 

 to provide fresh pasture lands, and the 

 long grass and underbrush that had 

 been kept down by the cattle sprang up 

 thickly, thus affording cover for the 

 j)ersecuted fowls. Their numbers in 

 thissecti«m have since then increased. 

 I have even shot at wild Turkeys in the 

 Spring wilhin sound of the college bell. 

 An old huiittr naminl Jessup with his 

 two sons, living a few miles north of 

 here, for the last four or live years kill- 

 ed forty or fifty Tin-keys each season. 

 One of the boys alone bagged over thir- 

 ty last winter. They report, however, 

 that each winter they are f)bliged to go 



Y., NOV., 1893. NO. 11 



farther and hunt closer than was nec- 

 essary the winter before. During the 

 Christmas holidaj's of '!)1 three of the 

 students and myself who remained over 

 for the spring term, started olT for a 

 Turke3- hunt. I was i)romised all the 

 Turkeys that should be killed by the 

 party for specimens. Our plan was to 

 reach Jessup's about dark, get one of 

 the boys to accompany us, push on 

 four or live miles into the very heart of 

 the Turkey country.and camp for the 

 night iu the woods. Arriving at the 

 old "Tar-heel's" house a little after 

 dark, the old gentleman amuse us by 

 telling of his war exjieriences, while 

 Dan was busy loailing his s ells. Aftei 

 half an hourspent iu relating thrillinir 

 adventures, he pausecl and sat look.^^g 

 into the tire lighting over again in his 

 mind the battles of 'G3 and '64. Oue of 

 the boys taking advantage of the sil- 

 ence said, "Mr. Jessup were you in the 

 battle of Marathon?" 'Wall no," re- 

 pli(;d the old man, "I war in Lee's army 

 and dat battle wer fought over in Vir- 

 ginia somewhar, I beared about hit at 



de time." 



Just at daybreak next nu)rniiig D.in 

 and myself parted company in the 

 woods. I cros.sed a creek and went up 

 on the hill according to his directions, 

 while he went farther down. The 

 other three men were ])osted back uj) 

 the cicek. Upon reaching the heavy 

 growth of i)ines to which I had been 

 (lirectcd. I threw myself down upon 

 the i)ine needles, let my heels ki -k 

 about in the air .'ind munched tlu; re- 

 meuants of my last bi.M-uit. Only a 

 few minutes had elapsed when there 

 was a sound of heavy Happing and three 

 great birds sailed by; one alighting in a 

 tree within ten yards of where I lay; 

 the other tw«> pa>i>ied f.irther up the 

 creek :iiid likewise lil. Caiiliniisly ris 



