THE TURKEY. 125 



again and again into the water, and thus miserably 

 perish. Immediately after these birds have succeed- 

 ed in crossing a river, they for some time ramble 

 about without any apparent unanimity of purpose, 

 and a great many are destroyed by the hunters, al- 

 though they are then least valuable. 



" The wild turkeys do not confine themselves to 

 any particular food ; they eat maize, all sorts of ber- 

 ries, fruits, grasses, beetles ; and even tadpoles, 

 young frogs, and lizards, are occasionally found in 

 their crops ; but where the pecan nut is plenty, they 

 prefer that fruit to any other nourishment ; their 

 more general predilection is, however, for the acorn, 

 on which they rapidly fatten. When an unusually 

 profuse crop of acorns is produced in a particular 

 section of country, great numbers of turkeys are en- 

 ticed from their ordinary haunts in the surrounding 

 districts. About the beginning of October, while 

 the mast still remains on the trees, they assemble in 

 flocks, and direct their course to the rich bottom 

 lands. At this season they are observed in great 

 numbers on the Ohio and Missisippi. The time of 

 this irruption is known to the Indians by the name 

 of the turkey month. 



" When the turkeys have arrived in their land of 

 abundance, they disperse in small flocks, composed 

 of individuals of all sexes and ages intermingled, who 

 devour all the mast as they advance ; this occurs 

 about the middle of November. It has been ob- 

 served, that, after these long journeys, tb* turkeys 



