412 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS. 



Me!<^Orismc^ana, and is tl.e first to suggest that it is .lerivd from tl.o don.esticated bird and 

 5/ Z' "r"T-"" '"''' u"'"^' "' ^■"^'"" ^'"•*" ^"'^"-' °" ^"-'> '-' -tains tl.™e o? 

 the c ...uny-whUo fps of the tail-feathers a,.d of the upper tail-coverts, will, some other po of 

 unno „„porta„ce. I suggest that the Wild Turkey of New Mexico, as referred to bj v ous 

 vv liters, belongs to tins new spe.ies, and not to the M. rjalh/mvo 



In 18.^8, in the Report o„ the birds eolleeted by the I'acitie Hailroad Expedition (Vol. IX p 

 618 of the smes of Paeific Kailroad Reports), 1 referred to this subjeet, and established tl^ 

 existence m North America of two species of Wild Turkey. _ one belo iging to . ttn tie 

 oU.r ........... North America. Much additional material L since eorroblL ^l!:: ::S 



Uxa., the o he. ,s now known to belong to the J.lauo Estacado aud other parts of Western Texas 

 to New Mexico, ami to Arizona. "'siein itxas, 



The recnit ac-iuisition of a fn.e male Turkey by the Smithsonian Institution from the vicinity 

 of Mount Orizaba in Mexico, and it.s comparison with a skin from Santa Fe, enables me to as rt 

 he positive Identity of our Western and the Mexican .species, and one readi y .separallfiU 

 .ter known wild bird of the ..as.ern United States. There is now little LL to doubt t 



e North American an hypothesis which explains the fact of the diflieulty in establishing a 

 cross iH'tween (mr wild ami tame birds. "••"mif, a 



The presumed dillerenees between the two species n.ay be briefly indicated as consisting 

 pnieipallymthecreamyor fulvous white of the tips of the tail-feathers ami of the Jeahers 

 overlying the base of the tail and of the hinder part of the back of the Mexican aud y I'c" 



WT';!::;'' Z ^■"'""■"h ""n;"^" ''''"-' ^'-tnut.brown of the same parts in the IZ 

 Wild T«, key. There are other dilferenccs. but they are less evident, ami those indicated will 

 readily serve to distinguish the two species. maicatea wiu 



The tnie wild bird of ea-sfrn North America always has the tips of the tail-feathers and 

 upper tail-covert of a chestnut-brown color ; the Mexican species and its de.seenda^ 1^ t 

 barnyard never exhibit this feature. 



Somet^imes this domesticated bird is exactly like its wild original, difl-ering only in rather 



!^Z ;^t''"'" 1 ?" '""' '""" "' *'" ''""■' -""• "'■'^'^ ' »"'» "f this aifexaiifple m™y 

 seen m the Mu.seuin of the Smithsonian Institution. 



lu!!^. onnr '";"f ."'■*':'; '''""'^?"'= •'"■•' ^^•''''•'' '^ -"ti-Iy Waek. sometimes even including the 

 aig<. rpiiUs. which in both species are natnrally banded with white, an.l in this there may l» 

 little or no trace of any bands at the end of the tail and of its upper coverts ; but whatever 

 may be the asseverations of the sportsman, the poultry-.lealer, or the farmer, as to the "wild 

 ness of any particular bird, or v.diat the circumstances attendant upon its capture or death by 

 nlinelv^'if ,T"r^' "7''!;""T' '"''"''"t confidence may be placed in the test above indicated, 

 na miy . ,f the tips of tail and tail-covert are chestnut-brown, the specimen belongs to the J/ 



Sr r °'' 'T'- '"''"' "-• '' "" ""-^ ^'^ -^ "'"'^^ ^"*"-«'y ^'-••^ - -y «hade on hitSi or 

 light fulvous, then it is a " barnyard " fowl. 



wh!m tle"r'-l'." '■'"■'",' ^'"^ " ''"'' "■"""" ^y ^'- ^'"■*°''""' th« occomplished naturalist, to 

 T*hom the Smithsonian Institution owes the specimen of the wild Mexican bird referred to above 

 will be read with interest. "uuve, 



"MiRADOE, State or Vm\ Crot, 

 ,., . Ja..uary 20, 1807. 



I am entirely of your opinion in regard to the origin of the domestic Turkey, as our wild 

 hrd dilkMs from the tame only in the less amount of development of the fatty lobes of the head 



''J/f/.„,,ny„«,ncrn,.M-s tolerably abunda^^ in this neighborhoo.l. Monging more especially 

 to the sparsely overgrown savannas between the n-gion of the oaks and the coast, the Tierra 

 (-« lente ^ warm region ' pro,«^r. It is a very shy bird, living in families like the wild Geese 

 and keep sentinels on the watch whenever the flock is feeding in the vicinity of threatened 



.tS^o!.-:;;::"^"^^ "r r •^•^"^ -'^ ^"^^^^'^ «„ L ground. an/seLleht; 

 its teet to a,d in the sear,-h for food. In running. th«v swiftest dog cannot overtake it. It is not 



