266 Farm Poultry 



thrive well when closely confined. On this 

 account, they are not suited to rearing in large 

 numbers on small areas. Owners of small farms 

 or village lots, therefore, are practically debarred 

 from rearing large numbers of turkeys, particu- 

 larly if they are to be kept from trespassing 

 on the holdings of their neighbors. While the 

 mother turkey with her brood may be confined in 

 very limited areas for a time during the brooding 

 season, yet as the young become older and are 

 prepared to seek their own living, they thrive 

 much better if close restrictions are not enforced. 

 Whoever attempts to rear turkeys in consider- 

 able numbers should therefore plan to give them 

 a wide range, particularly during the latter part 

 of their growth. They are not able to adapt 

 themselves to artificial conditions as well as chick- 

 ens or ducks or even geese. 



In North America there are two distinct species 

 of native turkeys; one inhabits the United States 

 and Mexico, the other is found in Honduras. The 

 latter is sometimes spoken of as the ocellated 

 turkey. The former has been separated into sev- 

 eral varieties, the best known of which are the 

 Mexican turkey, from which the common domes- 

 ticated turkey is descended, and the wild turkey 

 of the eastern United States. The Mexican form 

 is somewhat smaller than the wild form of the 

 eastern United States. 



