FLORIDA WILD TURKEY. 



AA/HEN I first visited Florida, Wild Turkeys were 

 quite abundant even in the near vicinity of St. 

 Augustine, and ascending the St. John's it was not an 

 unusual thing to see a flock walking sedately along the 

 bank of the river, or on the edge of the woods when 

 these did not come to the water; and not infrequently 

 one would be killed by a bullet from some passenger's 

 rifle, and the boat's nose run against the bank to allow 

 one of the crew to jump ashore and retrieve the game. 

 But in these days, except in the wilder portions of the 

 State, where they are still abundant, they have greatly 

 decreased in numbers, and like their Northern relative, 

 are rapidly disappearing. They were not so excessively 

 shy and wary before they were so persecuted and per- 

 sistently hunted, and I remember well the first time I 

 ever saw a Florida Turkey. I had been hunting deer 

 on horseback south of St. Augustine, and night com- 

 ing on we decided to camp for the night, and rode 

 into a clump of trees and palmettoes near which, on the 

 other side, stretched a swamp of considerable extent. As 

 I dismounted from my horse there was a sudden rush 

 and commotion in front, and a flock of Turkeys started 

 away, some to run and a few to take wing. The run- 

 ners soon disappeared, but the flying birds took refuge 

 in the trees near at hand, and standing motionless, or 

 else slowly walking on the large limbs, looked down 

 upon us as if wondering what kind of intruders we were. 

 They evinced no particular alarm, certainly nothing like 



177 



