THE WILD TURKEY. 



11 



hen as to which she will follow may not be pleasing to 



persons imbued with romantic feelings, yet she is only 

 obeying a wise law of nature, which decrees that only the 

 fittest should live, and in the lower animal world these 

 are necessarily chosen for their physical qualities. 



The battles between the males are often waged with 

 such desperate valor that more than one combatant is sent 



FIG, 1. TRAP FOR WILD TURKEYS. 



to join the great majority, as they deliver very heavy blows 

 at each other's heads, and do not give up a contest until 

 they are dead, or so thoroughly exhausted as to be 

 scarcely able to move. 



When one has killed another, it is said to caress the 

 dead bird in an apparently affectionate manner, as if it 



