WILD TURKEY. 61 



from her post, by the approach of apparent danger ; but if an 

 enemy appears, she crouches as low as possible, and suffers it to 

 pass. A circumstance related by Mr. Audubon, will show how 

 much intelligence they display on such occasions. Having dis- 

 covered a sitting hen, he remarked, that by assuming a careless 

 air, whistling, or talking to himself, he was permitted to pass 

 within five or six feet of her, but if he advanced cautiously, she 

 would not suffer him to come within twenty paces, but ran off, 

 twenty or thirty yards, with her tail expanded, when, assuming a 

 stately gait, she paused on every step, occasionally uttering a 

 chuck. They seldom abandon their nests, on account of being 

 discovered by man ; but should a snake, or any other animal suck 

 one of the eggs, the parent leaves them altogether. If the eggs be 

 removed, she again seeks the male, and recommences laying, 

 though otherwise she lays but one nest of eggs during the season. 

 Several turkey hens sometimes associate, perhaps for mutual safety, 

 deposit their eggs in the same nest, and rear their broods together. 

 Mr. Audubon once found three females sitting on forty- two eggs. 

 In such cases the nest is constantly guarded by one of the parties, 

 so that no crow, raven, or even polecat dares approach it. The 

 mother will not forsake her eggs, when near hatching, while life 

 remains. She will suffer an enclosure to be made around, and 

 imprison her, rather than abandon her charge. Mr. Audubon 

 witnessed the hatching of a brood while thus endeavouring to 

 secure the young and mother. I have lain flat, says he, within a 

 very few feet, and seen her gently rise from the eggs, look anxiously 

 towards them, chuck with a sound, peculiar to the mother on such 

 an occasion, remove carefully each half-empty shell, and, with 

 her bill, caress and dry the younglings, that already stand totter- 

 ing and attempting to force their way out of the nest. The time 

 then approaches in which they seek the open ground or prairie 

 land during the day, in search of strawberries, and, subsequently, 

 dewberries, blackberries, and grasshoppers, thus securing a plen- 

 tiful food, and enjoying the influence of the genial sun. They 

 frequently dust themselves in shallow cavities of the soil, or on ant- 

 hills, in order to clean off the loose skin off their growing feathers, 

 and rid themselves of ticks and other vermin. 



Wild turkeys having been observed by Bartrim, he says 

 "Having seen a flock of them, at some distance, I approached 

 them with great caution, when, singling out a large cock, and 

 being just on the point of firing, I observed that several young 

 cocks were affrighted, and, in their language, warned the rest to 

 be on their guard, against an enemy, whom I plainly perceived, 



