116 LIFE HISTOKIES OF NORTH AMEIUCAN BIRDS. 



having fuuiul eggs of this species as hite as July 10. Jueubatiou hists about 

 four weeks, and this duty is entirely performed by the female. 



In shape, the eggs of the Wihl Turkey are usually ovate, occasionallv 

 they are elongate ovate. The ground color varies from pale creamy white to 

 creamy buff. They are more or less heavily marked with well-defined spots 

 and dots of pale chocolate and reddish brown. In an occasional set these spots 

 are pale lavender. Genei'ally the markings are all small, ranging in size from 

 a No. 6 shot to that of dust shot, but an exceptional set is sometimes heavily 

 covered with both spots and blotches of the size of Inickshot, and even larger. 

 The majority of eggs of this species in the U. S. National ^luseum collection, 

 and such as I have examined elsewhere, resemble in coloration the figured type 

 of M. gallopavo vicxkaiuts, l)ut average, as a rule, somewhat smaller in size. 



The average measurement of thirty-eight eggs in the U. S. National 

 ^luseum collection is 61.5 by 46. 5 millimetres. The largest egg measures 68.5 

 by 46, the smallest 51) by 45 millimetres. 



The type specimen. No. 21069 (PI. 3, Fig. 14), selected from an incomplete 

 set of six eggs from the Bendire collection, was obtained by him through 

 the kindness of Bvt. Maj. S. L. Woodward, Tenth Cavalry, U. S. Army, near 

 Onion Creek, Archer County, Texas, May 7, 1874. This specimen shows the 

 lavender markings referred to above.^ 



40. Meleagris gallopavo mexicana (Gould). 



MEXICAN TURKEY. 



Meleagris mexicana Gould, Proceeding's Zoological Society, 185G, 61. 

 Meleagris gallopavo var. tiiexicana Baird, History of North Americau Birds, III, IST-l, 

 410. 



(B 458, C :379, R 470. C 533, U 310a.) 



Geographical range: Table lands of Mexico, and ]iorth to southern border of 

 United States from western Texas to Arizona; soutli to Vera Cruz (temperate region). 



The Ijreeding range of the Mexican Turkey extends from the mountainous 

 portions of southern and western Colorado, through similar regions in New 

 Mexico, Arizona, western and southwestern Texas, into Mexico. In southern 

 Colorado the bird is rare, if still found there, while specimens from the Lower 

 Rio Grande region in Texas seem to be intermediate between true M. (lallopuvo 

 and the M. (lallopavo mexicanM, leaning more toward the latter. 



This magnificent game bird, the progenitor of our domestic Turkey, is 

 more of a mountain-loving species than the eastern liird, and is still reasonably 

 alnnidant in the wilder porrions of western Texas, the Territories of New Mexico 

 and Arizona, and very common in portions of Mexico. I believe this sub- 

 species attains a greater size than 31. ffaJlopavo. I shot a specimen weighing 



' Since this article was written, Mr. W. E. D. Scott has separated the Florida Turkey from thu 

 common Wild Turkey and described it under tlie name of Meleagris gallopavo osceola, in Auk, Vol. vii, 1890, 

 p. 376. 



