76 THE PEOPLE'S PRACTICAL POULTRY BOOK. 



THE WILD TURKEY. 



THE plumage of the wild turkey is generally described as being compact, 

 glossy, with metallic reflections ; leathers double, as in other gallinaceous 

 birds, generally oblong or truncated; tips of the feathers almost conceal 

 the bronze color. The large quill coverts are of the same color as the back, 

 but more bronzed, with purple reflections. The lower part of the back and 

 tail coverts is deep chestnut, banded green and black ; the tail feathers are 

 of the same color, undulatingly barred and minutely sprinkled with black, 

 and having a broad, blackish bar toward the tip, which is pale brown arid 

 minutely mottled ; the under parts duller ; breast of the same color as the 

 back, the terminating black band not so broad ; sides dark-colored ; abdomen 

 and thighs brownish-gray ; under tail coverts blackish, glossed with brown, 

 and at the tips bright reddish-brown. The plumage of the male is very 

 brilliant ; that of the female is not so beautiful. When strutting about, with 

 tail spread, displaying himself, this bird has a very stately and handsome 

 appearance, and seems quite sensible of the admiration he excites. 



THE DOMESTIC TURKEY. 



The varieties of the domesticated turkey are not very distinct. There 

 seems to be a question in the minds of ornithologists whether the domestic 

 turkey, so called, is actually a second and distinct species, or merely a variety 

 of the wild bird, owing its diversity of aspect to circumstances dependent on 

 locality, and consequent change of habit, combined with difference of 

 climate and other important causes, which are known in the case of animals 

 to produce such remarkable effects. 



THE WHITE TURKEY. 



The white turkey is a most beautiful bird, and is supposed by some to be 

 the most robust and easily fattened of our domestic turkeys ; but this, from 

 what we have been able to learn upon the subject, is a grave error, they 

 proving, on the contrary, very delicate and hard to rear. But when fattened 

 and killed they dress most temptingly white for the market, and their flesh, 

 when brought to the table, is rather more delicate than that of the common 

 variety. 



THE BRONZED BLACK. 



This is undoubtedly the finest and strongest bird, resembling as it does, as 

 closely as possible, the original stock, and looks not dissimilar to the wild 

 bird, and next to that weighs the heaviest, fattens the most rapidly, and can 

 be reared with much less trouble than any other variety. We have seen a 

 turkey of this species shown at the New York State Poultry Exhibition that 

 was enormous in size ; he weighed upwards of thirty-six pounds. Some 

 turkeys we have seen are of a coppery tint, some of a delicate fawn-color, 

 while others were parti-colored, and gray and white. These are, however, 

 regarded as inferior to the Bronzed-Black, or Black, as their color indicates 

 Bomething like degeneracy of constitution, if not of actual disease. 



