BIRDS — PHASAIDIDAE — MELEAGRIS QALLOPAVO. 615 



MELEAGRIS GALLOPAVO, L. 



Wild Turkey. 



MeUagris gttllopavo, Liknaeus, Syst. Nat. I, 17GG, 268.— Gmelin, 1, 1788, 732.— Latham, Ind. Orn. II, 1790, 618 — 

 Wilson, Index, VI, 1812. — Stepheks, in Shaw's Zool. XI, i, 1819, 156, (domestic bird.)— 

 BoNAp. Am. Orn. 1, 1825, 79; pi. ix.— Ib. Syn. 122.— Ib. List, 1838.— Acd. Orn. Biog. 1,1831, 

 1 and 33: V, 1839, 559 ; pi. 1.— Ib. Syn. 1839.— Ib. Birds Amer. V, 1842, 42, pi. 287, 288.— 

 NoTTALL, Man. I, 1832, 630. — Reichenbach, Systema Av. 1851, pi. xxvi, — Ib. Icones Av. 

 tab. 289. 



Meleagris americana, Bartbam, Travels, 1791, 290. 



Meleagris sytvestris, Vieillot, Nouv. Diet. IX, 447. 



Gallopavo sytvestris, Leconte, Pr. A. N. Sc. Phil. 1857, 179. 



Mtleagris fera, Vieillot, Galerie Ois. II, 1824, 10 ; pi. x. 



Wild turkey, Clayton, Philos. Trans. XVII, 1693, 992.— Pennant, Philos. Trans. LXXI, 1781, 67.— Is. Arctic 

 Zool. No. 178. 



American turkey, Latham, Syn. II, ii, 676. 



Gallopavo sylveslris, JVoDac angliae, Ray, Syn. 51. 



Gallopavo sytvestris, Catesbt, Carol. I, 1730, App. p. xliv. — Brisson, Orn. V, 1760, 163. 



Bill elongated, slender ; culmen rising a little at the base, then gently and equally convex to 

 the tip. Commissure concave from the base. Nostrils elliptical, linear, much overhung by an 

 incumbent scale ; about two-fifths its distance from the tip of the bill. Head and upper part of 

 neck all round, as well as the whole throat, bare of feathers, and covered sparsely with short 

 fleshy processes, placed transversely, scarcely to be seen on the under side. The feathers of the 

 lower neck extend narrowly along the median line to the nape. The bare portion thinly covered 

 with short, black hairs, or hair-like feathers. At the point of junction of the bill and head is 

 a long fleshy process, capable of much erection and distension, and well covered with hairs. 

 The jugulum of the male is provided with a close tuft of bristles six or eight inches long. 



The tarsus is long and stout, much longer than the middle toe and claw. It is entirely bare 

 of feathers, including the superior joint of the tibia. Anteriorly it is covered by a double row 

 of about eighteen pentagonal scales from tibial joint to the toes, embracing the anterior half, 

 the lateral edges of these rows being straight. There is also a double row behind, the external 

 extending nearly to the hind toe ; the inner reaching to the spur. The space between these 

 four rows of scales, and not occupied by them, is covered by small subhexagonal scales. There 

 is in the male a large spur, its centre situated about four-tenths the length of the tarsus from 

 its lower edge. It stands nearly perpedicular to the tarsus, directed postero-internally, is about 

 an inch long, conical, and slightly curving upwards. The lateral toes are about equal, the 

 claws not reaching the base of the middle. There is a membrane extending between the bases 

 of the anterior toes, and slightly continuous between the inner and posterior. The hinder toe 

 is situated about its length (excluding the claw) above the inferior edge of the tarsus. 



The wings are moderate ; when closed reaching nearly to the middle of the tail. They are 

 rather rounded ; the first primary shorter than the tenth ; the sixth longest. The secondaries 

 and tertials are long and broad ; the longest reaching to the tip of the eighth primary, and 

 much longer than the first. 



The tail is about as long as from the carpal joint to the end of the secondaries ; it is broad, 

 the feathers all graduated quite evenly, and diminishing successively about half an inch. The 



