230 THE WILD TURKEY. 



young turkeys perish very fast, although, according to 

 Audubon, the mother physics them with the buds 

 of the spice-wood bush.* In a dry season they grow 

 apace, insect food being at such times plentiful; and 

 at the end of three weeks the young birds are able to 

 take their perches at night on the low branch of a tree. 



During the day they will stray out into the prairies 

 in search of insects, strawberries, dewberries, or black- 

 berries, and by the time October comes they are nearly 

 full grown and independent of the maternal authority. 



The hens have recovered their flesh which they had 

 lost by sitting, the gobblers have regained their plump- 

 ness by feeding upon nuts, grapes, and a thousand and 

 one good things picked up in the forest. When all are 

 fat and strong they gradually form themselves into 

 flocks, or gangs as the forest settlers and hunters call 

 them, frequently as many as a hundred birds being in 

 one group. This feathered ' gathering of the clans ' 

 has given the Indians their name for the month of 

 October, which they call ' Turkey month.' 



In districts where mast is plentiful, they devour all 

 before them, clearing the ground and roaming over a 

 great extent of country. When one part of the wood is 

 exhausted they immediately move on to some other 

 place where acorns and peccan nuts are more plentiful. 

 At such times they rarely rise from the ground, unless 



* This may be doubted, but it is yery probable that the young eat 

 naturally the wild bird-joepper, which grows everywhere. 



