THE DOMESTIC TURKEY. 



243 



WILD HEN TURKEY. 



to load and fire, till sometimes a dozen would be killed before 

 the flock would take a distant flight ! Talk of hunting now-a- 

 days ! Why, it is a miserable farce in comparison to such 

 sport as our western pioneers had in their early days. 



The main characteristics of both cocks and hens are the 

 same as of our domestic turkeys, as they have sprung directly 

 from the wild stock. The wild turkey makes her nest in the 

 leaves of the trees, in some sheltered thicket, and generally 

 brings forth a brood of fifteen to twenty young at a litter. 



THE DOMESTIC TURKEY. 



The domestic turkey is a profitable bird to raise, but is more 

 difficult to rear than geese or dunghill fowls. There are several 

 varieties of the domestic turkey, if color may be considered as 



