286 AMERICAN GAME BIRD SHOOTING 



the true Meleagris gallopavo, thus becomes a subspecies 

 of the Mexican turkey and is now known as Meleagris 

 gallopavo silvestris. It and the closely similar Florida 

 race (osceola) have the ends of the upper tail coverts 

 and tail feathers dark chestnut. The common northern 

 wild turkey has the primaries, or stiff quill feathers of 

 the wing white barred with black, while the Florida 

 wild turkey has the primaries black, with small white 

 bars, which are broken and usually do not reach the 

 shafts of the feathers. These differences are constant, 

 otherwise they would not be regarded as subspecific 

 characters. 



Down in parts of southern Texas and northeastern 

 Mexico is found another subspecies (intermedia) 

 known as the Rio Grande turkey, or Elliott's turkey. 

 It looks much like the common wild turkey, but the 

 rump feathers have a coppery bronze bar across them 

 close to the ends, and are tipped with dark yellowish. 

 The tail coverts are chestnut, with narrow black cross 

 bars, and are broadly tipped with buff. The tail 

 is mottled pale chestnut and black, has a black bar across 

 it close to the end, and is tipped with yellowish buff. 

 The difference in appearance between Elliott's turkey 

 and the common turkey is not easily expressed in 

 words, but any one who has an opportunity to compare 

 two specimens of the same age and sex will readily see 

 that they are not exactly alike. Moreover, the female 

 of the Rio Grande turkey has grayish tips to the feath- 

 ers on the upper part of the body, and thus differs 

 strikingly from any other species of turkey. 



