160 [Assembly 



try of the wild turke}^, thought of it as food, and how greatly he 

 estimated it. It is highly probable that the wild turkey cannot 

 obtain such suitable food in Mexico as he can in the United 

 States. Hernandez and other writers and teachers say, that their 

 flesh is harder and in all respects inferior to the domestic bird of 

 that region 5 a strong circumstance to show that the United 

 States is tlie original native land of the wild turkey, especially as 

 the latter is considerably larger and superior in the delicacy and 

 flavor of its flesh to the tame one of the Union. Among the 

 benefits conferred by America on the rest of the world, the gift 

 of this noble bird should occupy a distinguished place, as unques- 

 tionably one of the most useful of the feathered tribe, being capa- 

 ble of administering largely to the sustenance and comfort of the 

 human race. 



On this account it has been eagerly nought by almost all na- 

 tions, and has been naturalized with astonishing rapidity through- 

 out the world, al-most universally constituting a favorite banquet 

 dish. The turkey, belonging originally to the American conti- 

 nent, was necessarily unknown to the ancients, who in this, as in 

 many other instances, were deficient in some of our common as 

 well as most essential articles of food. Readers unacquainted 

 with the fact may well be surprised to learn, that although the 

 introduction of this bird into Europe is comparatively modern, 

 its origin has in some measure been lost sight of, and that natu- 

 ralists who stood high in the last century, and who lived much 

 nearer to the time of its first appearance, have expressed great 

 uncertainty concerning its native country. Thus Belon, Aldro- 

 vandi, and others, thought it came originally from Africa and the 

 East Indias, and endeavored to recognize it in some of the domes- 

 tic birds of the ancients. These gentlemen supposed it was men- 

 tioned by some ancient authors, but they mistook for it the 

 humida Meleagris of Linnc^ wliich is no doubt an African bird, 

 now almost naturalized in America, in a wild state, so that it 

 would be more reasonable for the latter country to regard this as 

 indigenous, than that the old world should lay claim to the tur- 

 key. It would be loss of time to combat the arguments advanced 

 by some authors who have deceived themselves in attempting to 

 deprive America of her just title to this bird, since they have 



