100 OUli DOMESTIC FOVfLS, 



spreads its stiff tail in an inverted manner 

 over its back, and along this, as a smooth in- 

 clined plane, the owl glances, without injury 

 to the turkey, Avhich immediately drops to the 

 ground, with the loss of a few feathers, and 

 conceals itself. 



The wild turkey is very shy, and generally 

 makes off on the appearance of a man, yet 

 when at roost, though a single owl would 

 alarm a whole troop, the hunter may thin 

 their numbers with his gun during moonlight, 

 neither the report, nor the sight of their com- 

 panion dropping from the branches, exciting 

 more than a buzzing noise, expressive rather 

 of astonishment than of positive fright, 

 " When, (says Audubon,) after a heavy fall of 

 snow, the weather becomes frosty so as to form 

 a hard crust on the surface, the turkeys remain 

 on their roosts for three or four days, some- 

 times much longer, which proves their capa- 

 bility of continued abstinence. Wlien near 

 farms, however, they leave the roosts and go 

 into the very stables, and about the stacks of 

 corn, to procure food. During melting snow- 

 falls, they will travel to an extraordinary dis- 

 tance, and are then followed in vain, it being 

 impossible for hunters of any description to 



