312 TURKEYS. 



Winter; at night he slept under the trees in which they 

 roosted; in the day he fed with them, and was not the 

 least frightened or disturbed by people walking among 

 them. He took great liberties with the old Turkey-cock; 

 when he saw him going to pick up a worm or any seed,. 

 he used to run under him between his legs, and snatch 

 it out of his mouth, the Turkey-cock never resenting 

 the indignity. Early in the Spring he left them, as it 

 was supposed, to find himself a mate for the pairing- 

 season. But, in the beginning of Autumn, he rejoined 

 his old friends, and continued with them as formerly 

 until the next pairing-time, when he again disappeared,, 

 but returned no more, having probably been killed*. 



Male birds of the gallinaceous or poultry tribe, which 

 associate with a plurality of females, are in general less 

 attached to the young birds of their species than others- 

 which pair and confine themvelees to one mate. The 

 following is, however, a curious instance that this insen- 

 sibility is not invariably the case. 



In May. a Turkey-hen was sitting upon eggs, and a& 

 the cock in his solitude began to be uneasy and appear 

 dejected he was allowed to remain in the same space 

 along with her. He immediately, on being admitted, 

 sat down by the hen, and it was at first supposed that 

 this was a mere mark of affection, but it was soon found 

 that he had taken some of the eggs from under her, 

 which he carefully covered with his own body. The 

 maid who looked after the poultry thought this mode of 

 hatching would be attended with little advantage, and 

 therefore put the eggs back again under the hen; but 

 the cock was no sooner at liberty than he again carried 

 some of them away as before. The owner, when ho 

 observed this, resolved, for the sake of experiment, to 

 let the cock have his own way, and caused a nest to 

 be prepared with as many eggs as its large body was- 

 able to cover. The cock seemed to be highly pleased 

 with this mark of confidence, sat with great patience on 



* Edin. Phil. Jour., No. viii. 



