lish, French or Spanish in America north of Mexico 

 until 1584, or in that section of the country inhabited 

 by the eastern species of wild turkey until sixty years 

 after the turkey is known to have been introduced into 

 England, the common belief that the eastern species 

 (Meleagris sylvestris) was the foundation of the domes- 

 tic turkey is clearly an error; but the ornithologist does 

 not find it necessary to consult history to determine the 

 origin of the domestic turkey. That distinguishing fea- 

 ture of the Mexican wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), 

 the broad, light sub-terminal of the rump feathers, is 

 so strong that even after three and a half centuries of 

 domestication, changes in color through selection in 

 breeding, and possibly crossing to some extent with the 

 eastern and Florida species, those markings, peculiar to 

 it alone, are unmistakably present even in the lightest- 

 colored varieties. 



As a game bird the turkey has but few equals. Like 

 most of game birds they are comparatively tame and 

 unsuspicious until after they have been hunted, and 

 learned that of all animals man is their greatest foe and 

 most to be dreaded, for whenever he is within sight he 

 is within the range of his instruments of destruction. 

 I have seen the Mexican wild turkey constantly running 

 or flushing in front of us from morning till night as we 

 traveled through their country for days. They showed 

 but little fear, for while we killed all we could eat, we 

 were constantly traveling, so that those that had been 

 introduced to the white man's methods of destroying 

 were left behind us, and those in front of us had yet 

 the lesson to learn; but when the wild turkey has been 

 hunted a little it becomes about as wary, cunning and 

 resourceful as any bird that flies. 



The Mexican wild turkey is the largest of the race, 

 and has been, and is yet, the most plentiful. They are 

 strictly mountain dwellers, not often found in altitudes 

 of less than twenty-five hundred to three thousand feet, 

 and more frequently from four to six thousand, and 

 even up to eight thousand feet or more. They are 

 strictly timber dwellers, usually, if not always, living in 

 the pine forests, for I can not call to mind a single 

 instance where I have found them except where pines 

 of some variety were the principal trees. In size, indi- 

 viduals vary a good deal. So, also, will the general 

 average be found to vary as much as ten pounds in 

 different localities. Generally the higher their habitat 

 the larger the birds, some of the old gobblers reaching 

 forty pounds if not more. I remember killing one in 

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