80 OUll DOMESTIC FOWLS. 



male turkey is extremely irascible ; his fury, 

 like that of the bull, is excited by red or scarlet 

 colours, which rouse him to make an attack, 

 from which children are occasionally liable to 

 injury. We have more thau once seen des- 

 perate battles between the turkey-cock and 

 game-cock, in which the latter was more 

 oppressed by the weight of his adversary than 

 by his gladiatorial skill, and received but little 

 injury. 



Turkeys are birds of rambling habits, and 

 only fitted for the farm-yard and extensive 

 pi'emises ; they delight to wander in the 

 fields, in quest of insects, on which with 

 green herbage, berries, mast, and various seeds, 

 they greedily feed. In this manner the troop 

 will ramble about all day, returning to roost 

 in the evening, when they should have a good 

 supply of grain, and again in the morning. 

 When adult, the turkey is exti-emely hardy, 

 and will roost with impunity all night on the 

 branches of tall trees during the severity of 

 winter, especially if the weather be diy. 

 Still it is better for them to roost under cover, 

 on high perches in well-ventilated lofty sheds, 

 appropriated exclusively to them. Their size 

 renders them annoying and troublesome in 



