THE WILD TURKEY, 



'T has been observed that when 

 the Turkey makes its appear- 

 ance on table all conversation 

 should for the moment be 

 suspended. That it is eaten in 

 silence on some occasions may be 

 inferred from the following anecdote : 

 A certain judge of Avignon, famous 

 for his love of the glorious bird, which 

 the American people have wisely 

 selected for the celebration of Thanks- 

 giving Day, said to a friend: "We 

 have just been dining on a superb 

 Turkey. It was excellent. Stuffed 

 with truffles to the very throat ten- 

 der, delicate, filled with perfume ! We 

 left nothing but the bones ! " " How 

 many were there of you ? " asked his 

 friend. "Two," replied the judge, 

 "the Turkey and myself!" The 

 reason, no doubt, why this brilliant 

 bird, which so much resembles the 

 domestic Turkey, is now almost ex- 

 tinct. It was> formerly a resident of 

 New England, and is still found to 

 some extent as far north-west as the 

 Missouri River and south-west as 

 Texas. In Ohio it was formerly an 

 abundant resident. Dr. Kirtland 

 (1850) mentions the time when Wild 

 Turkeys were more common than 

 tame ones are now. 



The nests of this bird are very 

 difficult to discover, as they are made 

 on the ground, midst tall, thick weeds 

 or tangled briars. The female will 

 not leave the nest until almost trodden 

 upon. It is stated that when the eggs 

 are once touched, she will abandon 

 her nest. 



The Turkey became known to 

 Europeans almost immediately upon 

 the discovery of America by the 

 Spaniards in 1518, and it is probable 

 that it is distinctively an American 

 bird. In its wild state, its plumage, 

 as in the case of the Honduras Turkey, 

 grows more lustrous and magnificent 

 as the family extends southward. 



The "Gobblers," as the males are 

 called, associate in parties of ten to 

 one hundred, seeking their food apart 

 from the females, which wander singly 

 with their young or in troops with 

 other hens and their families, some- 

 times to the number of seventy or 

 eighty. They travel on foot, unless 

 disturbed by the hunter or a river 

 compels them to take wing. It is 

 said that when about to cross a river, 

 they select a high eminence from 

 which to start, that their flight may 

 be more sure, and in such a position 

 they sometimes remain for a day or 

 more, as if in consultation. On such 

 occasions the males gobble vociferously, 

 strutting about pompously as if to 

 animate their companions. At the 

 signal note of their leader, they wing 

 their way to the opposite shore. 



The Wild Turkey feeds on many 

 kinds of berries, fruits, and grasses, 

 Beetles, tadpoles, young frogs, and 

 lizards are sometimes found in its 

 crop. When the Turkeys reach 

 their destination, they disperse in 

 flocks, devouring the mast as they 

 proceed. 



Pairing time begins in March. The 

 sexes roost apart, but at no great 

 distance, so that when the female 

 utters a call, every male within hear- 

 ing responds, rolling note after note in 

 rapid succession, in a voice resembling 

 that of the tame Turkey when he 

 hears any unusual noise. Where the 

 Turkeys are numerous, the woods 

 from one end to the other, sometimes 

 for many miles, resound with these 

 voices of wooing. 



The specimen of the Wild Turkey 

 presented in this number of BIRDS is 

 of extraordinary size and beauty, and 

 has been much admired. The day is 

 not far distant when a living specimen 

 of this noble bird will be sought for in 

 vain in the United States. 



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