^"'ig^if^^^J Wright, Early Records of the Wild Turkey. 463 



SiCALIS. 



The carcass of this finch has been carefully compared with one of 

 our American Goldfinch {Astragalinus tristis) without revealing any 

 differences whatever in the pterylosis. The primary formula is 8 7 

 (or 78) 9654321 and the tail is a trifle less emarginate than in the 

 goldfinch. The nostril is exposed and nearly circular. Nothing 

 in the internal anatomy is noticeably different from what is found 

 in Astragalinus. The tongue is possibly a trifle less fleshy. The 

 tomia are markedly deflexed, a notable difference from the nearly 

 straight tomia of the goldfinch. On the roof of the mouth in Sicalis, 

 at the posterior end of the upper mandible is a conspicuous tubercle, 

 back of which on each side is a minute pit. This tubercle may be 

 seen in dry skins, as well as in alcoholic specimens, if the bill is 

 opened. There is nothing like it in Astragalinus. It is also quite 

 lacking in Serinus, an interesting confirmation of Mr. Ridgway's 

 view that that genus is not a close ally of Sicalis. Perhaps it may 

 be proper to add that my observations on the nostrils and the tomia 

 of Sicalis and Serinus entirely confirm Mr. Ridgway's statements 

 regarding those genera (Birds of North and Middle America, Vol. I^ 

 p. 52'2). 



EARLY RECORDS OF THE WILD TURKEY. II. 

 by albert hazen wright. 



The Hunting and Trapping of the Wild Turkey. 



The hunting and trapping of this wary bird has furnished the 

 literature of out-of-door magazines many an interesting column in 

 the last forty years, a period following the range (250 years) of the 

 subsequent notes. These represent most of the present day 

 methods of capture and cover a wide stretch of country as well as 

 range of time. Of the general wariness of the species (Michaux,. 

 1. c, pp. 216, 217) writes as follows: "The wild turkies, which begin 



