Vol. XXXIIl 



1915 



Wright, Early Records of the Wild Turkey. 79 



that season began to be fat and very delicious especially the hens. 

 These birds seem to be of the bustard kind, and fly heavily. Some 

 of them are exceedingly large, and weigh upwards of forty pounds ; 

 nay, some bold historians venture to say, upwards of fifty pounds. 

 They run very fast, stretching forth their wings all the time, like 

 the ostrich, by way of sails to quicken their speed. They roost 

 commonly upon very high trees, standing near some river or creek, 

 and are so stupified at the sight of fire, that if you make a blaze in 

 the night near the place where they roost, you may fire upon them 

 several times successively, before they will dare to fly away. Their 

 spurs are so sharp and strong, that the Indians used formerly to 

 point their arrows with them, though now they point them with a 

 sharp white stone. In the spring the turkey-cocks begin to gobble, 

 which is the language wherein they make love." In another place, 

 he mentions the attitude of Indians towards mixing meats in the 

 same dish. " Our men killed a very fat buck and several turkeys. 

 These two kinds of meat they boiled together, with the addition of 

 a little rice or French barley, made excellent soup, and what hap- 

 pens rarely in other good things, it never cloyed, no more than an 

 engaging wife would do, by being a constant dish. Our Indian 

 was very superstitious in this matter, and told us, with a face full 

 of concern, that if we continued to boil venison and turkey together, 

 we should for the future kill nothing, because the spirit that pre- 

 sided over the woods would drive all the game out of our sight." 

 "The Indian likewise shot a wild turkey, but confessed he would 

 not bring it us lest we should continue to provoke the guardian 

 of the forest, by cooking the beasts of the field and the birds of the 

 air together in one vessel. ..." Of this same practice, " A Journey 

 to the Land of Eden 1733 " gives us the following: ! " It was strange 

 we met with no wild turkeys (Morris' Creek near Banister River) , 

 this being the season in which great numbers of them used to be 

 seen towards the mountains. They commonly perched on the 

 high trees near the rivers and creeks. But this voyage, to our 

 great misfortune, there were none to be found. So that we could 

 not commit that abomination, in the sight of Indians, of mining the 

 flesh of deer and turkeys in our broth." 



1 The Westover Manuscripts, p. 108. 



