252 W I L D T U R K E Y. 



"Wild Turkies preferve a famenefs of coloring. The tame, as ufual 

 ■with domettic animals, vary. ' It is needlefs to point out the diffe- 

 rences, in fo well-known a bird. The black approach neareft to th& 

 original ftock. This variety I have feen nearly in a ftate of nature, in 

 Richmond and other parks.. A moft beautiful kind has of late been. 

 White variety, introduced into England, of a fnowy whitenefs, finely contrafting with 

 its red head, and black peftoral tuft, Thefe, I think, came out of 

 Holland, probably bred from an accidental white pairj and from 

 them preferved pure from any dark or variegated birds. 

 Sias. The fizes of the wild Turkies have been differently reprefented. 



Some writers affert, that there have been inftances of their weighing 

 fixty paunds ; but I find none who, fpeaking frci^m their own know- 

 lege, can prove their weight ta be above forty. Jojfelyn fays, that he 

 has eaten part of a Cock, which, after it was plucked, and the en- 

 trails taken our, weighed thirty *. Law/on, whofe authority is un- 

 queftionable, faw half a Turkey ferve eight hungry men for twa 

 meals f; and fays, that he had feen others, which, he believed, weighed 

 forty pounds. Catejby tells us, that out of the many hundreds which 

 he had handled %, very few exceeded thirty pounds. Each of thefe 

 fpeak of their being double that fize, merely from the reports of 

 others. 

 Manners. The manners of thefe birds are as fingular as, their figure. Their 



attitudes in the feafon of courtfhip are very flriking. The males fling 

 their heads and neck backwards, briftle up their feathers, drop their 

 wings to the ground, ftrut and pace moft ridiculoufly j wheel round 

 the females, with their wings ruftling along the earth, at the fame 

 time emitting a ftrange found through their noftrils, not unlike the 

 Notes. gi'urr of a great fpinning-wheel. On being interrupted, fly into great 



rages, and change their note into a loud and guttural gobble -, and 

 then return to dalliance. 



The found of the females is plaintive and melancholy. 



* "Kent} England Rarities, 2. + Hijl. Carolina, 149 and 47. 



X App. xliv. The greateft certain weight is giv«n by Mv^Clayldx, who faw one 

 that reached 38 lb. — Pb. Tranf, 



■X The 



