ACTIONS OF WILD TURKEY. 373 



danger, repeats the syllables croo, croo, crooli, six 

 or seven times in succession." 



Instances of this kind are rare among birds, and 

 have received little attention at the hands of orni- 

 thologists ; but they are deeply interesting to all 

 who love to trace the strong affections of a parent 

 even in the action of a being so humble as a sky- 

 lark or a duck. The parent's care in leading 

 forth her young has long been the subject of 

 familiar notice and observation. The actions of 

 the wild turkey of America are thus vividly de- 

 scribed by the great naturalist of the American 

 woods. " Before leaving her nest with the 

 young brood, the mother shakes herself in a 

 violent manner, picks and adjusts her feathers, 

 and assumes quite a different aspect. She alter- 

 nately inclines her eyes obliquely upwards and 

 sideways, stretching out her neck, to discover 

 hawks or other enemies, spreads her wings a little 

 as she walks, and softly clucks to keep her inno- 

 cent offspring close to her. They move slowly 

 along, and, as the hatching generally takes place 

 in the afternoon, they frequently return to the 

 nest to spend the first night there. After this 

 they remove to some distance, keeping on the 



