V0l *l9L5 XI1 ] Wright, Early Records of the Wild Turkey. 363 



the hunters were regularly sent out for it and often returned with 

 as many as seven. In the Red River region the l " game grew so 

 abundant, that we had it at any time in our power, to kill as many 

 bison .... and turkies, as we might wish." " The grapes and plums 

 so abundant in this portion of the country are eaten by turkies . . . . , 

 as we conclude from observing plumstones in the excrement of 

 these animals." In the Pawnee territory, they record this form 

 and at the Falls of the Canadian River (near Great North Fork). 

 "Turkies were very numerous." On the Red Fork, they find "a 

 seasonable supply of four turkeys." Some years later, Timothy 

 Flint tells how James O. Pattie of Kentucky 2 " saw (in 1824) great 

 numbers of .... turkeys " in Socoro County, N. M. In the be- 

 ginning of 1825, he reports fat turkies along the banks of San 

 Francisco River and along its tributary, Bear Creek. 



In 1826, W. B. Dewees at San Antonio de Bexar, Texas, says 3 

 " On the first evening, we encamped about an hour before sundown, 

 and my friend and myself strayed away from the camp for a short 

 time and while absent, succeeding in killing a couple of very fine 

 turkeys. ...we had driven them to take refuge in a tree, where we 

 had shot them with our rifles." In 1832-33. Latrobe (1. c, Vol. 



I, pp. 142, 143, 160, 166) finds that "turkeys were plentiful 



in the vicinity of the camp ("Western Creek Agency at Saline near 

 Verdigris River),. . . .so that abundance reigned there." At Bald 

 Hill near Arkansas, he says "We noticed the tracks of innumerable 

 . . . .turkeys,. ..." On the Red Fork, he notes an "abundance 

 of turkeys." On the North Fork of the Canadian River, he claims 

 that they "killed in its neighborhood .... twenty turkeys,...." 

 Finally, his last note is of the Arkansas River which is "frequented 

 by. . ..turkeys." "A Visit to Texas, etc. New York, 1834" 

 records (pp.92, 209) that "There are wild turkies and smaller birds." 

 "The turkies chiefly resort to the woods." Its author on a trip 

 from Brazona to San Felipe tells how they "had plenty of . . . wild 

 turkey,...." In 1836, Edward, in his list of birds, writes 4 



i James, Edwin. 1. c, W- H, pp. 49, 59, 63, 118, 119, 127, 141, 155, 159, 217, 

 225. 



» Early Western Travels. XVIII, pp. 86 (52) 88 (54) 90 (55) 108 (71). 



8 Dewees, W. B. Letters from An Early Settler of Texas. Compiled by Cora 

 Cardelle, Louisville, Ky., 1852, Letter IX. 



4 Edward, David B. The History of Texas; etc. Cincinnati, 1836, p. 75. 



