^^'ioif^^] Wright, Early Records of the Wild Turkey. 349 



immediately (sent to him) thirty Indians loaded with roast Fish, 

 Hens, . . . . " Concerning Montezuma's Aviary and Gardens, he 

 asserts that "they (wild beasts) were fed with Turkeys, Deer. . . " 

 Of the province of Tabasco, Mexico, he writes, "This country 

 abounds in Turkies." Also of Yucatan, we find much the same 

 assertion. "This country always abounded in Game, especially 

 in Deer and wild Boars, and therefore the Indians call'd it Ulunu- 

 luyz yetelzed, that is Land of Deer and Turkey." In his last note 

 of this form, he relates a custom of Honduras and Ybueras, " they 

 .... kept the shells of Turkey Eggs that were hatch'd alledging, 

 that if they were thrown away the Pouts would dye." 



The first description of the Turkey is usually credited to Gonzalo 

 Fernandez de Oviedo y de Valdes, who was at Darien from 1514- 

 1517, 1519-1523, later at Cartagena, and in 1535 at Santo Domingo. 

 He wrote "Historia natural y general de las Indias" in 50 books. 

 The first volume (19 books) of this work was published at Seville 

 in 1535, and a brief extract of his Sumario de la Natural Historia 

 de la Indias appeared at Toledo in 1527. Most of the English 

 translations apparentlj^ are of this 1527 extract which probably has 

 not the turkey account. He treats both Curassows and Turkeys 

 as Pavos (Peafowls).^ 



"There are some peafowls reddish (ruby) and others black, and 

 the tails have the shape of the peahens of Spain; but in plumage 

 and in color, some are entirely reddish (ruby), and the abdomen 

 with a little of the breast white, and the others entirely black, and 

 in the same manner the abdomen and part of the breast 'white; 

 and both have upon the head a beautiful crest or tuft, of red feath- 

 ers for the red ones, and black for the black ones, and they are 

 better to eat than those of Spain. These peafowls are wild, and 

 some are domesticated in the houses when they are taken young. 

 The archers kill many of them because they are in great number. 

 Some say that the pea-cock is red and the pea-hen black; others 

 are of contrary opinion, and say that the pea-cock is black and the 

 pea-hen reddish (ruby); others say that they are of two kinds 

 (generos) and that the male and female are of both colors and of 



1 Biblioteca de Autores Espanoles, etc. Historiadores Primitivos de Indias. 

 Tome Premero. Siimario de la Natural Historia de las Indias, Capitulo XXXVI, 

 p. 493. This e.xcerpt transl. by A. J. Lamoureu.x. 



