DOMESTIC FOWL 79 



neck. A third contingent say that it is a turkey 

 because the bird is as overbearing as a Turk. 

 The reader may take his choice. 



Unlike the jungle fowl, the turkey under do- 

 mestication does not show a wide range of vari- 

 ability. It thrives under the care of man, but is 

 slow to yield to artificial selection for new types. 

 There are only a few recognized breeds, either 

 in the United States or abroad. The largest of 

 all these is the American bronze, the chief 

 commercial turkey of the States. English breeds 

 are not so large, and the French are still smaller ; 

 but even the great bronze cannot compare with 

 the largest of the wild birds. Wild gobblers 

 have been shot weighing sixty pounds or more, 

 whereas an extraordinarily large domestic bird 

 will tip the scales at forty-five pounds. 



There is no more difficult domesticated bird to- 

 rear than the turkey. The newly hatched chicks 

 are especially affected by any sudden change of 

 weather. A downpour of rain may prove fatal 

 to an entire brood. Their food also requires 

 close attention. At an older age they are highly 

 susceptible to disease; an epidemic of blackhead 

 or roup may wipe out a flock within twenty-four 

 hours. When fully grown, however, the turkey is 

 as hardy as any fowl. 



Production of these birds in the United States 

 annually runs into several millions, a majority 

 of which are consumed on Thanksgiving day or 



