276 The Turkey Family 



come within shotgun range, or even exposed him- 

 self to rifle fire. 



The typical calling is something like this. The 

 caller carefully conceals himself (usually before 

 dawn) near where turkeys are " using," and when 

 the gobblers make themselves heard, which they 

 are sure to do, he sends forth a shyly suggestive 

 response. His object is to persuade some fool 

 gobbler that the fattest and prettiest hen in the 

 whole country craveth an interview. If the cry 

 of the hen could be put into the " personal column " 

 of some paper, it presumably would read some- 

 thing like this : " Would the large, handsome gen- 

 tleman with the copper clothes, the red neck, and 

 the superb baritone voice meet the soprano lady 

 in gray walking suit, at the basswood stump? 

 Object, a pleasant friendship and general good 

 time." 



" Would he ? Well, ra-ather ! " Being like some 

 men, he gobbles about it, puffs out his chest, 

 struts around, and keeps edging nearer and nearer 

 to the stump. He distinctly sees the rendezvous, 

 he distinctly hears the dulcet soprano ; but he 

 doesn't see or hear the evil-minded person who 

 is hunched up behind that stump, his hands full 

 of rifle or shotgun and his heart full of murderous 

 design. The gobbler drops his wings and fans 

 his tail for just one more impressive strut, then 

 he dies of lead poisoning and shock. 



