68 PROPAGATION OF WILD BIRDS 



extremities, and have no whitish or Ught buffy emargination. 

 White margins on tail or rump are characteristic of the Mexi- 

 can race and the domestic turkey. Buffy shades in these 

 parts indicate more or less mongrel origin. 



Mixture of Stock. This is not saying that such mongrels 

 are not found in the wild state. F. H. Kennard showed me 

 a series of skins recently collected in Florida, near the Ever- 

 glades, about half of which were clearly mongrels. The 

 designation "wild" is more or less ambiguous, as turkeys 

 easily revert to the wild state, and "wild" turkeys can be 

 made as tame as any. All turkeys are great travellers afoot, 

 and undoubtedly domestic birds often take to the woods 

 and wander indefinitely, probably breeding with the native 

 stock. 



Tameness No Criterion. Speaking of the possible tame- 

 ness of the real wild turkey, I recall a recent experience in 

 South Carolina, on the preserve of the Okeetee Club. See- 

 ing a flock of domestic turkeys feeding near a house, I 

 walked up close to examine them. One, a gobbler, was in 

 full typical plumage of the Eastern wild turkey. Upon in- 

 quiry, I found that some one had found some wild turkey 

 eggs and had taken them and raised the young. This * ' wild ' ' 

 turkey was fully as docile as the "tame" ones. 



Mongrels Common. I regret to have to say that most of 

 the supposed "wild turkeys" which I have seen upon pre- 

 serves and estates are mongrels, and it seems to be very 

 difficult to actually secure the pure Eastern form. Lest this 

 form should ever disappear in the wild state, it would be 

 well to make sure that breeding-stock is the real thing. 

 The above may serve to put people on their guard against 

 mistake or deception. 



Turkey Disease. The problem of the propagation of the 

 wild turkey is largely the familiar one of the turkey disease, 



