WILD LIFE IN THE FAKM-YARD 63 



The tame turkey-hen is notorious for stealing 

 her nest. The wild hen steals hers not to plague 

 her owner, of course, as is the common be- 

 lief about the domestic turkey, but to get away 

 from the gobbler, who, in order to prolong the 

 honeymoon, will break the eggs as fast as they 

 are laid. He has just enough brains to be senti- 

 mental, jealous, and boundlessly fond of himself. 

 His wives, too, are foolish enough to worship him, 

 until there is an egg in the nest. That event 

 makes them wise. They understand this strut- 

 ting coxcomb, and quietly turning their backs on 

 him, leave him to parade alone. 



There are crows, also, and buzzards from whom 

 the wild turkey hen must hide the eggs. Nor dare 

 she forget her own danger while sitting, for there 

 are foxes, owls, and prowling lynxes ready enough 

 to pounce upon her. On the farm there are still 

 many of these enemies besides the worst of them 

 all, the farmer himself. 



For a nest the wild hen, like the tame turkey 

 of the pasture, scratches a slight depression in 

 the ground, usually under a thick bush, sometimes 

 in a hollow log, and there lays from twelve to 

 twenty eggs, which are somewhat smaller and 

 more elongated than the tame turkey's, but of the 



