TURKEYS 181 



still found wild in many places. It was domesticated in Mexico 

 and Central America long before the discovery of the New World. 

 Domesticated stock from these places was taken to Spain and 

 England early in the sixteenth century, and was soon spread all 

 over Europe. The domestic stock of the colonists in the United 

 States and Canada came from Europe with the other kinds of 

 domestic poultry. It is probable that from early colonial times 

 the domestic stock was occasionally crossed by wild stock, but 



FIG. 154. Common turkeys on a New England farm 



we have no information about such crosses until after the Revo- 

 lutionary War. From the earliest published statements in regard 

 to the matter it would appear that such crosses had long been 

 common, and that the benefits of vigorous wild blood were ap- 

 preciated by the farmers of that time. The wild turkey is about 

 as large as a medium-sized domestic turkey but, being very close- 

 feathered, looks smaller. It is nearly black, and the bare head 

 and neck are darker in color than in most domestic birds. 



Common turkeys. The turkey is not so well adapted to do- 

 mestication as the fowl, duck, and goose. Under the conditions 

 to which they have usually been subjected domestic turkeys have 



