78 BIRDS OF SOUTH DAKOTA 



FAMILY MELEAGRID^:. TURKEYS 

 310a. WILD TURKEY (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris.) 



There are no Wild Turkeys in South Dakota today, but 

 until about 1875 they were frequently hunted for food by the 

 early settlers in Union and Clay counties. In the diary of Cap- 

 tain Lewis, of the Lewis and Clark expedition, of date Septem- 

 ber 5, 1804, it is stated that, at a point up the Missouri River 

 145 miles from the mouth of the Sioux, their hunters brought in 

 among other game "some wild turkeys." The diary also states 

 that "3 wild turkeys were secured" at a point just above the 

 present site of old Fort Randall. 



The Wild Turkey is about the size of the common Turkey 

 but of a uniform color, the plumage being a rusty black with 

 the rump and tail feathers a reddish brown, while the larger 

 wing feathers are grayish. 



Today the Wild Turkey is nearly extinct in the United 

 States and it is doubtful if many of the present generation will 

 ever see a specimen of the ancestor of our domestic Turkey, 

 which is so much appreciated at our Thanksgiving dinners. 



FAMILY COLUMBIM:. PIGEONS 



315. PASSENGER PIGEON, WILD PIGEON (Ectopistes migratorius.) 



While the range of the Passenger Pigeon was usually 

 farther east, old South Dakota settlers reported its occurrence 

 quite frequently in our southeastern tier of counties. 



It can perhaps be said that for one hundred years the 

 Passenger Pigeon was one of the most abundant birds in the 

 eastern half of North America. Their numbers in migration 

 could be compared to those of migrating buffaloes on the western 

 plains. It would take hours for either a flock of Pigeons or a 

 herd of buffaloes to pass a given point. A flock of Pigeons 

 would, for a time, shut off the sun's rays, while a massive herd 

 of buffaloes would often prevent the movement of trains on 

 the frontier until the great mass had passed over the track. 

 But the fate of the buffalo is the counterpart of that of the Pi- 

 geon. 



One of the writers saw Passenger Pigeons in abundance 

 in Illinois in the early seventies, but in describing them at this 



