TURKEYS. 35 



sibly true, as our venerated master, Izaak 

 Walton, quotes from Sir Richard Baker : 



" Hops and turkeys, carps and beer, 

 Came into England all in one year." 



There was a time, not so very long ago, 

 when turkeys, about Christmas time, used to 

 walk up to London from distant counties, 

 not so much of their own accord or for sight- 

 seeing, as to be seen and eaten. I have seen 

 hundreds of them come in large flocks. Now 

 they come in thousands by rail, and van, and 

 market cart. 



Of the delicate flavour of turkey, roast or 

 boiled, or its digestible qualities, I need not 

 speak they are already not unknown ; but 

 the powers of digestion which a turkey pos- 

 sesses are perhaps not so widely under- 

 stood. 



The ingenious Spallanzani made the follow- 

 ing experiments of this bird's capacity : 

 Twelve strong needles were firmly fixed in a 

 ball of lead, the points of which projected 

 about iin. from the surface ; thus armed, it 

 was covered with a case of paper, and 

 crammed down the turkey's throat ; the bird 

 retained it a day and a half without showing 

 the least symptom of uneasiness ; the points 

 of all the needles were broken off close to the 



