78 THE IMPORTANCE OF BIRD LIFE 



The Turkey 



The descendants of the wild jungle fowl, how- 

 ever, are not the only domesticated birds to which 

 the world owes an everlasting debt of gratitude. 

 There are, among others, the turkey, the duck, the 

 goose, and the guinea-fowl. 



The first bird, a native of North and Central 

 America, was introduced into Europe about 1530 

 by the Spaniards. It has been contended that 

 Cabot or another British explorer brought it to 

 England at an earlier date, but documentary 

 evidence fails to prove its presence there before 

 1541. Be that as it may, the turkey obtained a 

 firm foothold in Europe within fifty years of the 

 discovery of America. There, in Mexico, it had 

 been in a state of semi-domestication for centuries 

 before the arrival of the white man. 



Again, the uncertain origin of the name 

 1 ' turkey " has also been the cause of considerable 

 controversy. As the bird did not come originally 

 from the land of the Turks, the name cannot have 

 arisen as a common appellation of that country. 

 Some authorities imply it to the resemblance of 

 the tassel on the head of the bird to the red fez 

 of the Turkish costume. Others believe that it 

 may have arisen from the word " turquoise, " in 

 conjunction with the blue excrescences on the 



