Vol. XIX 



IQ02 



n Goldman, In Search of a Nexv Turkey. 127 



at it and I was more than half surprised when another big turkey 

 came crashing down. To reach camp we had several deep, dark 

 canons to cross without trails, and floundered about finding the 

 usual obstacles, which are unconsciously avoided in daytime but 

 are always encountered at night. We were in a cheerful frame of 

 mind however, and above noticing small bruises and other mis- 

 haps. The next forenoon was spent taking pack horses to the 

 roost, by a circuitous route, and bringing our game to camp. In 

 the afternoon we started on our return to the railroad and camped 

 among the pifions. The snowstorm we hoped for until it could 

 no longer serve us, came during the night, and morning found 

 everything white and cold outside our tent. We made a hurried 

 breakfast and after a long drive reached Winslow in the afternoon. 



The result of the trip was a series of 13 specimens, including 

 adults of both sexes and the young of the year. When the speci- 

 mens reached Washington, Mr. Nelson found they represented an 

 imdescribed subspecies which he named Meleagris gallopavo mer- 

 riami {Kvik, Vol. XVII, pp. 120-123, April, 1900). 



Merriam's Turkey ranges in summer over the higher slopes of 

 the Mogollon Mountains. In winter, and especially when 

 snow lies over the summits, the birds move down into the piiion 

 belt where food is abundant. I found them feeding largely on the 

 nuts of the piiion {Finns ediilis). According to some of the old 

 hunters they also eat the berries of the cedar {Juniperns iitahensis). 

 but none were found in the stomachs examined, although the tur- 

 keys, just before being killed, had been wandering through the 

 upper edge of the cedars, where the ripe berries were excessively 

 abundant. 



