594 



G A L L I N I D JE. 



separate from, and shun their mates, though the latter 

 pertinaciously follow them, uttering their gobbling 

 note. The sexes roost apart, but at no great distance, 

 so that, when the female utters a call, every male 

 within hearing responds, rolling note after note, in the 

 most rapid succession ; not as when spreading the 

 tail and strutting near the hen, but in a voice resem- 

 bling that of the tame turkey, when he hears any un- 

 usual or frequently repeated noise : when the turkeys 

 are numerous, the woods from one end to another, 

 sometimes for hundreds of miles, resound with this 

 remarkable voice of their wooing, uttered responsively 

 from their roosting-places. This is continued for about 

 an hour ; and, on the rising of the sun, they instantly 

 descend from their perches, and the males begin to 

 strut, for the purpose of winning the admiration of 

 their mates. 



" If the call be given from the ground, the males in 

 the vicinity fly towards the individual, and, whether 

 they perceive her or not, erect and spread their tails, 

 throw the head backwards, distend the comb and 

 wattles, strut pompously, and rustle their wings and 

 body feathers, at the same moment ejecting a puff of 

 air from the lungs. Whilst thus occupied, they oc- 

 casionally halt to look out for the female, and then 

 resume their strutting and puffing, moving with as 

 much rapidity as the nature of their gait will admit. 

 During this ceremonious approach, the males often 

 encounter each other, and desperate battles ensue, 

 when the conflict is only terminated by the flight or 

 death of the vanquished. This pugnacious disposition 

 is not to be regarded as accidental, but resulting from 

 a wise and excellent law of nature, that always studies 

 the good of the species, without regard to the indivi- 

 duals. Did not females prefer the most perfect of 

 their species, and were not the favours of beauty most 

 willingly dispensed to the victorious, feebleness and 

 degeneracy would soon mark the animal creation ; 

 but, in consequence of this general rule, the various 

 races of animals are propagated by those individuals 

 who are not only most to be admired for external ap- 

 pearance, but most to be valued for their intrinsic 

 spirit and energy. 



" When the object of his pursuit is discovered, if 

 the female be more than one year old, she also 

 struts, and even gobbles ; she turns proudly round 

 the strutting male, and suddenly opening her wings, 

 throws herself towards him, as if to terminate his 

 procrastination. But should he meet a young 

 hen, his strut becomes different, and his move- 

 ments are violently rapid ; sometimes rising in air, 

 he takes a short circular flight, and on alighting, 

 drags his wings for a distance of eight or ten 

 paces, running at full speed, occasionally approach- 

 ing the timorous hen, and pressing her until she 

 yields to his solicitations. Thus are they mated for 

 the season, though the male does not confine himself 

 exclusively to one female, nor does he hesitate to 

 bestow his attentions and endearments on several, 

 whenever an opportunitiy offers. 



" One or more females, thus associated, follow their 

 favourite, and roost in his immediate neighbourhood, 

 if not on the same tree, until they begin to lay, when 

 they change their mode of life in order to save their 

 eggs, which the male uniformly breaks if in hi? power, 

 that the female may not be withdrawn from the gra- 

 tification of his desires. At this time the females 

 shun the males during the greater part of the day ; 

 the latter become clumsy and careless, meet each other 



peacefully, and so entirely cease to gobble that the 

 hens are obliged to court their advances, calling 

 loudly and almost continually for them. The female 

 may then be observed caressing the male, and imitat- 

 ing his peculiar gestures. 



The cocks, even when on the roost, sometimes 

 strut and gobble, but more generally merely ele- 

 vate the tail, and utter the puff, on which the tail 

 and other feathers suddenly subside. On light or 

 moonshining nights, near the termination of the breed- 

 ing season, they repeat this action, at intervals of a 

 few minutes, for several hours together, without rising 

 from their perches. The sexes then separate ; the 

 males, being much emaciated, cease entirely to gob- 

 ble, retire and conceal themselves by prostrate trees, 

 in secluded parts of the forest, or in the almost im- 

 penetrable privacy of a canebrake. Rather than 

 leave their hiding-places, they suffer themselves to be 

 approached within a short distance, when they seek 

 safety in their speed of foot ; at this season, however, 

 they are of no value to the hunter, being meagre and 

 covered with ticks. By thus retiring, using very little 

 exercise, and feeding on peculiar grasses, they recover 

 their flesh and strength ; and when this object is 

 attained, again congregate, and recommence their 

 rambles. 



" About the middle of April, when the weather is 

 dry, the female selects a proper place in which to 

 deposit her eggs, secured from the encroachment of 

 water, and, as far as possible, concealed from the 

 watchful eye of the crow : this crafty bird espies the 

 hen going to her nest, and, having discovered the 

 precious deposit, waits for the absence of the parent, 

 and removes every one of the eggs from the spot that 

 he may devour them at leisure. The nest is placed 

 on the ground either on a dry ridge, in the fallen top 

 of a dead leafy tree, under a thicket of sumach or 

 briars, or by the side of a log ; it is of a very simple 

 structure, being composed of a few dried leaves. In 

 this receptacle the eggs are deposited, sometimes to 

 the number of twenty, but more usually from nine to 

 sixteen ; they are whitish, spotted with reddish brown, 

 like that of the domestic bird. Their manner of 

 building, number of eggs, period of incubation, &c., 

 appear to correspond throughout the Union, as I have 

 received exactly similar accounts from the northern 

 limits of the turkey range to the most southern regions 

 of Florida, Louisiana, and the western wilds of Mis- 

 souri. The female always approaches her nest with 

 great caution, varying her course so as rarely to reach 

 it twice by the same route ; and on leaving her 

 charge, she is very careful to cover the whole with 

 dry leaves, with which she conceals it so artfully as 

 to make it extremely difficult, even for one who has 

 watched her movements, to indicate the exact spot ; 

 hence few nests are found, and these are generally 

 discovered by fortuitously starting the female from 

 them, or by the appearance of broken shells, scattered 

 around by some cunning lynx, fox, or crow. When 

 laying or sitting, the turkey hen is not easily driven 

 from her post by the approach of apparent danger ; 

 but if an enemy appears, she crouches as low as pos- 

 sible, and suffers it to pass. A circumstance, related 

 by Mr. Audubon, will show how much intelligence 

 they display on such occasions : having discovered 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 ad- 

 vanced cautiously, she would not suffer him to come 



