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THE AMERICAN POULTERER'S COMPANION. 



usually the case. The upright position of the 

 egg tends to strengthen the opinion that they 

 are never disturbed after being deposited, as it 

 is well known that the eggs of birds which are 

 placed horizontally are frequently turned dur- 

 ing incubation." 



It is affirmed, both by the natives and settlers 

 living near their haunts, that it is not an un- 

 usual event to obtain nearly a bushel of eggs at 

 one time from a single mound, and they are 

 said to be delicious eating. 



Mr. Gould also relates that these birds, while 

 stalking about the wood, frequently utter a loud 

 clucking noise ; and in various parts of the bush 

 he observed depressions in the earth, which the 

 natives informed hip were made by these birds 

 in dusting themselves. The stomach is stated 

 by Mr. Gould to be extremely muscular; and 

 he found the crop of one which he dissected 

 filled with seeds, berries, and a few insects. 



When the Brush Turkey is disturbed, it ei- 

 ther runs through the tangled underwood with 

 singular rapidity, or springs upon a low branch 

 of some tree, and reaches the summit by a suc- 

 cession of leaps from branch to branch. This 

 latter peculiarity renders it an easy prey to the 

 sportsman. The composure with which these 

 birds sit to be shot at must, as Mr. Gould ob- 

 serves, lead to an early extinction of the race ; 

 an event, he remarks, much to be regretted, 

 since, independently of its being an interesting 



bird for the aviary, its flesh is extremely deli- 

 cate, tender, and juicy. There is no doubt that 

 this species may be domesticated, and it would 

 make a noble addition to the denizens of the 

 poultry-yard which enrich our homesteads and 

 our tables. 



The Brush Turkey ( Tattegatta) is not a very 

 striking bird in appearance. The beak is ro- 

 bust and convex ; the wings are moderate ; the 

 tail ample ; the head and neck furnished with 

 short hair-like feathers ; the cheeks naked ; and 

 the front of the neck presents a carunculated 

 naked skin, or sort of wattle, reminding us of 

 that of the turkey hence its name. In the 

 adult male the whole of the upper surface, its 

 wings and tail, is of a blackish -brown at the 

 base, becoming silvery-gray at the ends. The 

 skin of the head and neck is a deep pink, verg- 

 ing on red, and thinly sprinkled with short 

 hair-like blackish-brown or dingy feathers ; wat- 

 tles bright-yellow, shading off into red where it 

 unites with the red of the neck; bill black; 

 irides and feet brown. 



The female is about one-fourth less than the 

 male in size, but so closely the same in color as 

 to render a separate description unnecessary. 

 She also possesses the wattle, but not to so great 

 an extent. Size about that of a hen turkey. 

 In general habits this turkey is nothing remark- 

 able; it is in the reproduction of the species 

 that its anomalous proceedings are manifested. 



