254 The Turkey Family 



sometimes whole flocks. These traps were built 

 usually on a slope, but sometimes on the level, 

 and were entered by a trench, cut so as to dip 

 under the bottom log. The house or pen had 

 big cracks near the roof, and in the roof itself, 

 through which light could freely stream in. The 

 lower walls and the curved trench admitted no 

 direct light, so the birds, once inside the pen, 

 could see no friendly guiding light to indicate 

 the way out. Leading through the woods, to and 

 through the trench, was a trail of grain. 



When a flock of turkeys found the grain they 

 eventually followed it to the pen. If some fed in 

 the wrong direction, they presently reached the 

 end, where they turned and searched in the other 

 direction. Once in the trench and greedily feed- 

 ing, there was no occasion for them to raise their 

 heads, and if they did, it was no great matter. The 

 trail of grain merely led under an old log and 

 they had picked under many a similar log. So, 

 feeding, they passed beneath the treacherous log, 

 which well might have borne the legend, " All 

 hope abandon ye who enter here." Inside, a 

 trail of grain led to that part of the pen from 

 which the fowl were least likely to notice the 

 trench, and here there was more food. When 

 the gorged turkeys finally raised their heads in 

 earnest and looked for the way out, they realized 

 that they were in trouble. The big cracks at- 



