be more suitable as ihe naiional emblem of the Uniled States 

 than the one now used. This is the Wild Turkey There were 

 orifjiiially seven races or subspecies of Wild Turkey apart from 

 the quite different Ocellated Turkey of southern Mexico and 

 Yucatan {Melengris ocellala). These were the Eastern (silveslris) 

 found from the hundredth meridian to the east coast and south 

 of the Transition Belt, exclusive of Florida where it was replaced 

 by the race named osceolu: the Rio Grande race (intcrmi-Jiti) 

 ranging throughout central and eastern Texas and south down 

 the east side of Mexico to the twentieth parallel, which is the 

 bottom of this continent as defined in this book: Mcrriams 

 (merriami) in Colorado. New Mexico, and parts of Arizona; the 

 Sierra Madre form (mextcana) from Arizona all down the moun- 

 tain ranges of that name on the southwest side of Mexico to the 

 state of Durango; and the Mexican (M. gallopuvo gallopavo) in 

 two isolated areas to east and west, south of the twentieth 

 parallel, around Colima and Vera Cruz respectively. The seventh 

 form is known to have existed among the coastal ranges of 

 California, but it is now extinct and has no scientific name; it 

 has been replaced by stock of other breeds brought in from 

 outside. The range of these birds today is by and large the same 

 (with the exception of the Vera Cruz form, which is also now 

 extinct) but is everywhere spotty. They have been reintroduced 



to many areas and are generally domg well. but. strangely, no 

 turkeys appear ever to have lived in the desert or scrub bells 

 even if well vegetated, and they will not survive there today. In 

 this province they are now found only on the Piedmont and the 

 Interior Highlands 



These races of turkeys are all quite distinct, having not only 

 noticeably difTerent plumage but also quite differently formed 

 and colored wattles and other naked facial adornments The 

 Ocellated Turkey is quite another animal, having, as its name 

 implies, prominent eyelike spots shaped somewhat like those 

 on the tail of a peacock There is still debate as to whether the 

 domestic breeds are derived from our bird or the Ocellated. It 

 seems pretty certain that the first turkeys that were taken back 

 to Europe were obtained in Yucatan and would thus be of the 

 latter species. It is interesting to note that just about the one 

 country they did not reach until quite recently was Turkey, and 

 in this connection there is an interesting story told about the 

 origin of their English name. It is said that the specioneer 

 (equivalent to purser on a modern ship) on Cortez's flagship 

 was from the Levant, and when the Yucatecans brought the first 

 of these birds to the ship he. seeing their spots, called them 

 tok-qai or a word of similar sound meaning "peacock" in his 

 own Arabic dialect. This the Spanish sailors are said to have 



Mute swans in the Great Lakes area. Of the swans in North America, the Mute is introduced, the 

 Whistling is indigenous, and the Trumpeter is Western. 



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