339 



CHAPTER XXXVI. 



GUINEA FOWL. PEA FOWL. 



A LL the domestic varieties of turkeys are 

 /-\ undoubtedly descended from the wild 

 ■^ -*^ race of North America. This no one 

 questions now ; and the obstinate incredulity 

 of some naturalists respecting the fact is one 

 of the most curious phenomena in the history 

 of science. It was stated that the wild turkey 

 could not be domesticated, and refused to cross 

 with the domestic race ; both statements having 

 no atom of foundation, so far as we have ever 

 been able to learn. On the contrary, the fine 

 strain known as American Bronze owes its size 

 and lustre to possessing about three-fourths 

 of wild blood, some specimens being indeed 

 almost pure wild in strain, though bred for some 

 generations in captivity ; and Audubon had 

 long ago stated as of his own personal knowledge, 

 that the wild turkeys frequently fed, bred, and 

 associated with the domestic stock, and were 

 tempted in every possible way to do so by the 

 owners of the latter, as the half-bred birds were 

 finer in size and hardier in constitution. 



The varieties of the wild turkey are usually 

 reckoned as three, viz. the wild breed of more 

 northern America and Canada, known as 



Mcleagris Americana, whose colours 

 Wild are confined to iridescent dark- 



Turkeys, colours and bronzes ; an equally 



fine race found in Mexico and the 

 southern States, and hence called by some natu- 

 ralists il/. Mexicana, which is somewhat shorter 

 in leg, and has the tail and other feathers 

 tipped with white ; and a still more southern 

 variety found in Honduras and Central America, 

 known as M. occllata, distinguished by absence 

 of breast-tuft, differences in carunculation, and 

 the iridescent splendour of its plumage. The 

 ground-colour of this last is usually described 

 as a beautiful bronze green, banded with 

 gold bronze, blue, and red, with some bands 

 of brilliant black ; and it is much to be desired 

 that so magnificent a variety should be added 

 to domestic stock ; but all attempts hitherto 

 have been unsuccessful, the birds dying when 

 removed to a colder climate. They breed freely, 

 however, and several times hybrids have been 

 produced ; and we cannot help thinking, as the 

 bird is readily domesticated, that by breeding 



back the hardier hybrids to wild stock, the 

 glorious plumage might perhaps be perpetuated : 

 moreover the rearing of turkeys and tropical 

 breeds is better understood now, than at the date 

 of the latest attempts we ever heard of (about 

 1872) to domesticate the Honduras turkey. 



Much useless argument has been expended 

 upon the relation of the wild races to domestic 

 stock, about which there is practically no doubt 

 at all. It is quite certain that turkeys were 

 first introduced to Europe by the Spaniards, 

 who of course would get hold of the more 

 southern, or Mexican bird ; and hence no doubt 

 the general prevalence of more or less white 

 marking in all the older European varieties. 

 But there is no real line of division between the 

 northern and more southern birds, which breed 

 freely together, and merge into each other on 

 the great Continent ; and there seems no reason 

 for the difference in colour between those at 

 the two extremes of latitude, except warmer 

 climate and more plentiful food. These causes 

 almost always produce some variation in colour 

 or marking in birds, and hence the more northern 

 turkey has itself been several times recorded 

 to have produced white marking in the third 

 generation of domestic rearing and feeding. 

 The greater delicacy of the Honduras variety 

 has undoubtedly been caused solely by tropical 

 conditions, and it is rather remarkable that 

 in India also turkeys are found to degenerate 

 in size, thus showing sensitiveness to tropical 

 heat in another way. All the varieties inter-- 

 breed with perfect freedom, thus showing that 

 they are but local varieties of one great race. 



As no one ever supposed that these birds 

 came from Turkey, or from anywhere except 

 North America — not one single old writer can 

 be quoted for any such mistake — the origin 

 of the name is a very curious question. Some 

 have suggested that it came from a supposed 

 resemblance of the red carunculations to the 

 old Turkish costume of a red fez coming down 

 to the ears, with a dark flowing robe beneath. 

 Another guess is that the word is corrupted 

 from turquoise, supposed to be applied to the 

 bluish carunculations about the head. Others 

 point out that the name of "a Turk" is often 



