FLORIDA WILD TURKEY. 



179 



desperate arc the battles that ensue, and should one jjet 

 a firm hold of the other by the head, he will hang on 

 until his adversary is exhausted, perhaps dead. It is 

 said that a gobbler will caress the dead body of his 

 fallen foe, but I have never witnessed this. The 

 males begin to gobble in I''ebruary an<l nesting com- 

 mences in March. The usual deprcsion is made be- 

 neath a palmetto and lined with grass, leaves, and similar 

 rubbish, and usually about ten eggs are laid, exactly 

 similar in appearance to those of the Northern Wild 

 Turkey. The chicks remain with the mother until full 

 grown, when they may unite with other families if they 

 happen to meet, and in the autumn the males join them. 

 Their habits do not differ from those of the other races, 

 and the Florida bird, though not so brilliant perhaps, is 

 also a magnificent creature. 



MELEAGRIS SYLVESTRIS OSCEOLA. 



Geographical Distribution. — Florida. 



Adult Male. — Resembles M. sylvestris, but much darker in 

 the general hue of the plumage ; there is a great deal of brilliant 

 metallic coloring observable in different shades of bronze, 

 greens, and fiery reds, but the chief difference between this race 

 and other Wild Turkeys consists in the markings of the primaries 

 and secondaries, though to a less extent in the latter. The pri- 

 maries and outer secondaries are brownish black, with narrow 

 broken bars of white that do not reach the shaft of the feather, 

 while the inner secondaries are grayish brown, apparently with- 

 out bars, but vcrmiculated with dark brown on the inner web. 

 The dimensions are about the same as the Northern Wild 

 Turkey. 



Adult Fem^Jj.— 'Like the male, but smaller and less brilliant 

 in coloration. 



