206 THE BIRDS OF MAINE 



The natives take advantage of this by fixing a dark bunch of 

 moss on the snow to represent the head of a Ptarmigan, 

 roughly modeUing the body out of snow, and concealing them- 

 selves near by utter a nasal "yak-yak-yak-yak" in imitation of 

 the cry which soon attracts a bird to the vicinity. 



The males are very pugncaious, pursuing one another, 

 alighting on knolls, and thence arising five to ten yards in the 

 air to descend with the wings curved downward. While 

 ascending their note is given as "ku-ku-ku-ku-ku" which in 

 descending is changed to a hard rolling "kr-r-r-r-r" ending as 

 the bird reaches the ground. Sometimes they fight fiercely 

 until the ground is strewn with feathers. 



Early in June or rarely in late May the first eggs are laid, 

 and by June 20 to 25 the first young are hatched. The young 

 are on the wing in July and full fledged by early August. 

 The nest is placed on some slight knoll or dry place on the 

 open grass or tundra. The number of eggs ranges from seven 

 to thirteen. Major Bendire describes the eggs as being cream 

 color to a pronounced reddish buff", the ground color being 

 evident in some and in others almost obscured by the heavy 

 confluent blotches and markings of dark reddish and clove 

 brown. This color can readily be washed from a freshly laid 

 egg, leaving it a pure creamy white and of course rendering it 

 abnormal and destitute of beauty. Ptarmigan's eggs are 

 among the most handsome of birds eggs. Major Bendire 

 gives the average measurements of two hundred and fifty eggs 

 as 43 X 31 millimeters, or about 1.69 x 1.22. 



Family PHASIANIDiE. Pheasants, etc. 

 Subfamily MELEAGRINyE. Turkeys. 

 Genus MELEAGRIS Linnaeus. 



310. Meleagris gallopavo silvestris (yieiW.'). Wild Turkey. 



Plumage of adult male : large portion of head and throat covered with red 



tubercule like wattles ; a coarse beard like tuft of black bristles hanging 



from center of chest ; legs provided with spurs ; above and below metallic, 



