THE WILD TURKEY 71 



from dealers for this purpose, or trapped English sparrows 

 are employed at times. Eight to ten bottles of one eiglith 

 ounce of powdered strychnine are used to each one hundred 

 birds. As much as is held on the end of the blade of a pen- 

 knife is placed in the mouth. The flesh of the breast on one 

 side of the bone is slit and the same dose is inserted. These 

 pigeons are dropped on the paths, about a quarter of a mile 

 apart. When English sparrows are used, they are more 

 readily seen if impaled on a cut-off sprout 8 to 10 inches 

 from the ground. They are put out at the beginning of the 

 coldest weather and will keep. Foxes and other animals will 

 eat them even if not fresh. Minks and weasels eat only the 

 head, so it is important to put poison in the mouth. The 

 fox usually gulps the sparrow down whole. The victims 

 seem to have no suspicion, and are frequently found dead 

 nearby. A good way is to put out the bait in two plantings, 

 half in January, the rest in February. Mr. Bridges declares 

 that no deer or useful birds are affected by the practice, and 

 it is very effective, making the game uncommonly abundant. 

 In so wild a region there are no dogs roaming about to be 

 poisoned. On the other hand, C. C. Worthington is quoted 

 by F. C. Walcott as having had thirty-four deer on his pre- 

 serve killed by eating poisoned sparrows, the latter being 

 found in their stomachs. 



Artificial Breeding. The artificial breeding is mostly 

 conducted on Mr. Bridges's farm. Dissatisfied with the so- 

 called "wild" turkey stock usually offered for sale, at large 

 expense and trouble he finally secured a stock of the genuine 

 wild turkeys for breeding — forty-six hens and six gobblers. 

 For that number of hens he now prefers as many as ten 

 males, or one to four or five, believing that the young have 

 thus more stamina. 



To keep them he has a four-acre fenced field, mostly open 



