° 1914 ] Wright, Early Records of the Wild Turkey. 337 



emblem. His argument is so sound and so clever that it will 

 bear repeating: ^ "Others object to the hald eagle as looking too 

 much a dindon, or turkey. For my own part, I wish the bald eagle 

 had not been chosen as the representative of our country; he is a 

 bird of bad moral character; he does not get his living honestly; 

 you may have seen him perched on some dead tree, where, too lazy 

 to fish for himself, he w-atches the labor of the fishing-hawk; and, 

 when that diligent bird has at length taken a fish and is bearing 

 it to his nest for the support of his mate and young ones, the bald 

 eagle pursues him, and takes it from him. With all this injustice, 

 he is never in good case; but, like those among men who live by 

 sharping and robbing, he is generally poor, and often very lousy. 

 Besides he is a rank coward; the little kingbird, not bigger than a 

 sparrow, attacks him boldly and drives him out of the district. 

 He is therefore by no means a proper emblem for the brave and 

 honest Cincinnati of America, who have driven all the kingbirds 

 from our country;. ... I am, on this account, not displeased that 

 the figure is not known as a bald eagle, but looks more like a turkey. 

 For in truth, the turkey is in comparison a much more respectable 

 bird, and withal a true original native of America. Eagles have 

 been found in all countries, but the turkey was peculiar to ours; 

 the first of the species seen in Europe, being brought to France by 

 the Jesuits from Canada, and served up at the wedding table of 

 Charles the Ninth. He is, besides (though a little vain and silly, 

 it is true, but not a worse emblem for that) a bird of courage, and 

 would not hesitate to attack a grenadier of the British guards, who 

 should presume to invade his farmyard with a red coat on." 



Introduction into Europe. 



The first introduction of the turkey into Europe has always been 

 a mooted and now rather hackneyed question somewhat remote 

 from the intent of this paper. Almost every article on this subject 

 has paraphrased Newton or Bennett or Beckmann or all, and we 

 will content ourselves with the bare recital of their statements. 



1 Sparks, Jarcd. The Works of Benjamin Franklin. Boston, 1840, Vol. X, 

 pp. 63. 64. 



