THE WILD TUEKET. 13 



or any shade of wliite or light fulvous, one may be sure 

 it is the farm-yard species, but if they are chestnut- 

 brown, it is the common wild bird of the United States. 

 A strong reason for asserting that the domestic turkey is 

 descended from the variety found in Mexico and the 

 South-western States is, that the flesh of both is dry and 

 sweet, of a darkish hue on the back and legs, and white 

 on the breast and wings, whereas, it is darkish through- 

 out in the more northern and eastern bird. 



The farm-yard species is sometimes very much like its 

 progenitors, the main difference between them being in 

 the greater development of the fatty lobes of the head 

 and neck of the former. The changes in color produced 

 by domestication are, of course, well known, for some of 

 the tame turkeys are totally black, while others have de- 

 veloped a tuft on the head, but these variations in hue 

 do not disprove the theory about the source whence they 

 sprung. The Mexican variety is found in portions of West- 

 ern Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and the regions adjoining 

 them on the south. According to Prof. Sartorius, it is 

 very shy, lives in families like wild geese, and is so vigi- 

 lant that sentinels are kept on watch when flocks are 

 feeding. It is so fleet of foot that some dogs can- 

 not overtake it; and it rarely flies to trees except when it 

 is very hard pressed, as it depends mainly on running for 

 escaping its foes. He thinks it does not trail its wings as 

 much as its congeners do, as some captured by him did 

 not have the ends of these appendages worn away by 

 scraping them against the ground. 



During the breeding season, which commences in March 

 or April, each hen lays from three to twelve brownish-red, 

 spotted eggs. The hatching takes thirty days, and dur- 

 ing that time the birds rarely leave their nests, except when 

 they go in search of food, and then they cover them with 

 leaves or grass to protect them from predaceous animals. 



The wild turkey of the northern and eastern division 



