TURKEYS. 33 



brancli of a dead tree, a magnificent turkey-hen, 

 which was chicking with great vohibihty. The bird 

 was not more than fifteen paces from me, and I 

 was just going to fire when a chorus of chattering 

 from the left, informed me that there were several 

 males replying to the call of the female. In a short 

 time, I discovered among the tall grass about twenty 

 turkeys making their way towards me. I fired, and 

 had the satisfaction of bagging six enormous birds, 

 some killed stone-dead, and the others Avounded so 

 that they could not fly. AVill the reader believe me 

 when I tell him that the unharmed cocks refused to 

 make their escape for some time, and that I was 

 able to knock over four more with the butt end of 

 my gun before quitting the spot. 



A friend of mine, who has travelled through 

 Arkansas on horseback, told me that on one occa- 

 sion, he shot a hen turkey with a pistol, as she 

 Avas crouching upon the ground, and that on going 

 to take her up, he found that she was sitting upon 

 a nest with fourteen poults under her, scarcely 

 twenty-four hours old. The poor mother had 

 neglected her own safety to save the lives of her 

 young. 



A farmer of the United States complained, and 

 not without reason, of the depredations caused on 

 his fields of Indian corn by a flock of turkeys, 

 who seemed to defy all methods of intimidation, and 

 even powder and shot. He adopted the following 



VOL. I. I) 



