4 FLORIDA WILD TURKEY. 179 
desperate are the battles that ensue, and should one get 
a firm hold of the other by the head, he will hang on 
until his adversary is exhausted, perhaps dead. It is 
said that a gobbler will caress the dead body of his 
fallen foe, but I have never witnessed this. The 
males begin to gobble in February and nesting com- 
mences in March. The usual depression is made be- 
neath a palmetto and lined with grass, leaves, and similar 
rubbish, and usually about ten eggs are laid, exactly 
similar in appearance to those of the Northern Wild 
Turkey. The chicks remain with the mother until full 
grown, when they may unite with other families if they 
happen to meet, and in the autumn the males join them. 
Their habits do not differ from those of the other races, 
and the Florida bird, though not so brilliant perhaps, is 
also a magnificent creature. 
MELEAGRIS SYLVESTRIS OSCEOLA. 
Geographical Distribution.—F lorida. 
Adult Male.—Resembles MZ. sy/vestrzs, but much darker in 
the general hue of the plumage; there is a great deal of brilliant 
metallic coloring observable in different shades of bronze, 
greens, and fiery reds, but the chief difference between this race 
and other Wild Turkeys consists in the markings of the primaries 
and secondaries, though to a less extent inthe latter. The pri- 
maries and outer secondaries are brownish black, with narrow 
broken bars of white that do not reach the shaft of the feather, 
while the inner secondaries are grayish brown, apparently with- 
out bars, but vermiculated with dark brown on the inner web. 
The dimensions are about the same as the Northern Wild 
Turkey. 
Adult Female.—Like the male, but smaller and less brilliant 
in coloration. 
