228 THE WILD TURKEY. 



as they salute each other from the summits of cypress 

 and magnolia trees. They commence at early dawn, 

 and continue till sunrise. Every morning, in the months 

 of March and April, the forests ring with these sounds ; 

 but towards the end of the latter month the clucking 

 of the hen ceases, as she is then compelled to separate 

 herself from her lord and master, in order to save the 

 eggs, which he would certainly break if he could dis- 

 cover them. 



By this time, too, the * gobblers ' seem worn out with 

 their amorous duties ; they no longer fight furious 

 battles with rivals, their breast sponge becomes flat, and 

 they cease to gobble. They separate from the hens, and 

 retire into the densest part of the woods. During the 

 summer months, indeed, they are so thin and ema- 

 ciated that they are seldom shot at ; and the Indians 

 say of a very thin man that he is ' As poor as a turkey 

 in summer.' 



The hens generally lay their eggs in April, and make 

 their nest in some retired spot, where it will be as much 

 as possible concealed from wild cats and other vermin, 

 as well as from the cock bird, who never by any chance 

 neglects to break the eggs if he can discover them, nor 

 to split open the skulls of the young chicks with his 

 powerful beak. 



Although the spot is chosen with a view to conceal- 

 ment, the turkey hen generally places her nest on the 

 outskirts of the forest, near the open prairie and a 



