THE WILD TURKEY. 221 



and desperate battles ensue, when the conflict is only 

 terminated by the flight or death of the vanquished. 

 After pairing, the male and female are mated for the 

 season ; but the number of females in the society is not 

 strictly limited to one. The hens follow their favourite 

 and roost in his immediate neighbourhood, if not on the 

 same tree, until they begin to lay, when they change 

 their mode of life, in order to preserve their eggs from 

 the destructive passions of the male. At this time the 

 sexes again separate. The males cease to gobble and 

 no longer court the caresses of the females, but conceal 

 themselves in secluded parts of the forest, and rather 

 than leave their hiding places, suffer themselves to be 

 approached within a short distance, when they seek 

 safety in their speed of foot. At this season, however, 

 they are of no value to the hunters, being meagre and 

 covered with vermin. 



About the middle of April, when the weather is dry, 

 the female selects a proper place to deposit her eggs, 

 secure from the encroachment of water, and, as far as 

 possible, concealed from the watchful eye of the crow, 

 the most destructive enemy of the unhatched brood. 

 The nest is composed only of a few dried leaves, placed 

 on the ground, either on a dry ridge, in the fallen top 

 of a dead leafy tree, under a thicket, or by the side of a 

 log. In this receptacle the eggs, which are whitish 

 spotted with reddish brown, like those of the domestic 

 bird, are deposited, sometimes to the number of twenty, 

 but more usually from nine to fifteen. The female 

 always approaches her nest with great caution, and 

 conceals it so artfully with dry leaves that it is extremely 

 difficult to discover it during her absence. When laying 

 or sitting she is not readily driven from her post, which 

 she seldom quits on account of its having been disco- 

 vered by man ; but should a snake or any other animal 



