THE TURKEYS, IG3 



of London is nearly white with a shght yellowish-buff tinge j 

 the shell is rather smooth, with some gloss, and not very deeply 

 pitted. Measurements, 1*95 by 1*55 inch. 



THE TURKEYS. GENUS MELEAGRIS. 



J\Ieleag7-is, Linn, S. N, i. p, 268 (1766), 

 Type. M, gallopavo (Linn ). 



Head and neck naked and ivattkd^ with only a few hair-like 

 feathers; an erectile fleshy process 07i the forehead. 



Tail broad and rounded, composed of eighteen feathers, the 

 middle pair not much longer than the outer. 



First primary flight-feather about equal to the tenth, fifth 

 slightly the longest. Tarsus considerably longer than the 

 middle toe and claw, and armed in the males with a large stout 

 spur. 



I. THE MEXICAN TURKEY. MELEAGRIS GALLOPAVO. 



Meleagris gallopavo^ Linn. S. N. i. p. 268 (1766); Ogilvie- 



Grant, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. xxii. p. 387 (1893). 

 Meleagris mexicana, Gould, P. Z. S. 1856, p. 61 ; Elliot, B. N. 



Amer. ii. pi. 38 (1869) ; id. Monogr. Phasian. i. pi. 32 



(1872). 

 Meleagris gallopavo 7nexica?ia, Bendire, N. Amer. B. p. 116, 



pi. iii. fig. 15 [egg] 1892 [part]. 



Adult Male. — General colour of plumage black and dark 

 copper^bronze, shot with fiery-green and purplish-bronze. A 

 tassel-like bunch of long, coarse, black, hair-like feathers on 

 the middle of the breast ; upper tail-coverts and tail-feathers 

 broadly tipped ivith white^ the latter never ornamented with 

 metallic ocelli near the extremity, though the outer feathers 

 have a slight metallic band across the middle of the sub- 

 terminal black band ; primary quills equally barred with dark 



