208 



THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. 



two, as if for the purpose of consultation. Dur- 

 ing this time the males are heard gobbling, call- 

 ing, and making much ado, and are seen strut- 

 ting about as if to raise their courage to a pitch 

 befitting the emergency. Even the females and 

 young assume something of the same pompous 

 demeanor, and spread out their tails and run 

 round each other, purring loudly, and perform- 

 ing extravagant leaps. At length, when the 

 weather appears settled, and all around is quiet, 

 the whole party mounts to the tops of the high- 

 est trees, whence, at a signal consisting of a sin- 

 gle cluck given by a leader, the flock takes flight 

 for the opposite shore. The old and fat birds 

 easily get over, even should the river be a mile 

 in breadth, but the younger and less robust fre- 

 quently fall into the water not to be drowned, 

 however, as might be imagined. They bring 

 their wings close to their body, spread out their 

 tail as a support, stretch forward their neck, 

 and striking out their legs with great vigor, pro- 

 ceed rapidly toward the shore, on approaching 

 which, should they find it too steep for landing, 

 they cease their exertions for a few moments, 

 float down the stream until they come to an ac- 

 cessible part, and, by a violent effort, generally 

 extricate themselves from the water. It is re- 

 markable that,, immediately after thus crossing 

 a large stream, they ramble about for some time, 

 as if bewildered. In this state, they fall an easy 

 prey to the hunter. 



"When the turkeys arrive in parts where the 

 mast is abundant, they separate into smaller 

 flocks, composed of birds of all ages and both 

 sexes promiscuously mingled, and devour all 

 before them. This happens about the middle 

 of November. So gentle do they sometimes 

 become after these long journeys, that they have 

 been seen to approach the farm-yards, associate 

 with the domestic fowls, and enter the stables 

 and corn-cribs in quest of food. In this way, 

 roaming about the forests and feeding chiefly 

 on mast, they pass the autumn and part of the 

 winter." 



THE DOMESTIC TURKEY. 



We have spoken of the turkey of nature ; we 

 will now treat of the turkey of art ; that is, the 

 turkey that makes so interesting a part of oui 



rural and domestic economy. They are, next 

 to the common fowl, the most useful and valu- 

 able of domestic birds, and, at the same time, 

 that which requires the greatest care in the first 

 moments of its existence. When once reared, 

 however, every temperature agrees with it. 



Of the turkey, Buffon and others assert that 

 there is but one species ; and in this country 

 we have three varieties the black, the copper- 

 color, and white. The first is considered the 

 most hardy, and generally preferred ; the sec- 

 ond is held by some in great esteem ; the latter, 

 with their red head and caruncles, contrasted 

 with their snowy whiteness, make a pretty ap- 

 pearance, and add much to embellish the grounds 

 of the house. Their feathers are valuable, and 

 they have much down on the thighs. 



According to Parmentier, the white turkey, 

 contrary to analogy, is by some thought to be 

 more robust and easily reared and fattened ; 

 and hence large flocks of these may be seen in 

 some parts of France. Such, however, is not 

 our experience, but the reverse. The black 

 turkey, on the contrary, is always most market- 

 able, from its being said their skin is white, and 

 their flesh finer and sweeter ; while the males 

 are larger, and the females are better breeders. 



There can be little doubt that black turkeys 

 are produced in greater numbers than any other 

 color. Madame Clavier, an ingenious French 

 lady, fond of rural economy, told M. Parmen- 

 tier that she had a white turkey cock in her 

 yard, with ten black turkey hens, and yet she 

 never had a white chick hatched, nor even 

 shaded in the slightest degree. In Dauphiny, 

 on the other hand, they are found of every 

 shade of color, from a deep black to a pure 

 white. 



Mowbray tells us that a turkey cock, the 

 property of a gentleman in England, which was 

 black in 1821, became afterward perfectly white, 

 and in the process of moulting, just before this 

 singular change, it gradually showed every shade 

 between the two colors, the feathers being al- 

 ternately black and white. 



"Although not of ancient date," says Main, 

 "the subjugation of turkeys has already pro- 

 duced varieties in our climate. The most re- 

 markable is that of the tufted turkey^ as ret very 



