WILD TURKEY. 57 



middle feathers ; near the tip is a large black band, then the 

 feathers are again mottled for a short distance, and are widely 

 tipped with ferruginous yellow. The feet are robust and some- 

 what elongated ; the tarsus measures more than six inches in 

 length, being covered before by large alternate pentagonal plates, 

 and furnished on the inner posterior sides, with a rather obtuse, 

 robust, compressed spur, nearly one inch long. The toes are three 

 before, connected at base by a membrane, and one behind, touch- 

 ing the ground, only at tip, being articulated higher on the tarsus 

 than the others, and one-half shorter than the lateral toes, which 

 are equal ; the middle toe is more than four inches long, and the 

 posterior but little more than an inch ; they are all covered by 

 entire plates. The sole is granulated ; the colour of the foot is 

 red ; the margins of the plates and scales, the membrane and nails 

 being blackish, the nails are oblong, wide, obtuse at tip, rounded 

 above, and perfectly plain beneath. The female or hen turkey is 

 considerably smaller in size, being three feet and a quarter long. 

 The bill and feet resemble those of the male, but are proportionally 

 smaller, the latter being destitute of even a rudiment of spur. The 

 irides are like those of the male ; the head and neck are not so 

 naked as in that sex, but are covered by small decomposed feathers, 

 of a dirty grayish colour ; those of the back of the neck are tipped 

 with ferruginous, constituting a longitudinal vitta on that part. 

 The caruncle on the frontlet is rudimental, not susceptible of being 

 elongated ; the pectoral appendage is entirely wanting in our 

 specimen ; the general plumage is dusky gray, each feather having 

 a metallic band, less brilliant than that of the male, then a blackish 

 band and a grayish terminal fringe ; the black subterminal band 

 is obsolete on the feathers of the neck, and of the whole inferior 

 surface. Those of the latter part, with the feathers of the lower 

 portion of the back of the rump, and the flanks, have their tips 

 yellowish, ferruginous, becoming gradually brighter towards the 

 tail ; the vent and thighs are dirty yellowish gray, without any 

 reflections; the under tail coverts are tipped, and varied with 

 rather deep ferruginous. The superior tail coverts are like those 

 of the male, but duller, and tipped with a broad whitish ferru- 

 ginous fringe. The wings are also duller, each covert being tipped 

 grayish, less white exists on the primaries, the bands being nar- 

 rower, and the secondaries entirely destitute of them ; the tail is 

 similar in colour to that of the male. 



The wild turkey inhabits the entire extent from the north- western 

 territory of the United States, to the Isthmus of Panama, south of 

 which it is not to be found, notwithstanding the statements of 



