QUAIL, GROUSE, ETC. 171 



ish-drab sparingly covered with markings of pale bro\vn. 

 I found this bird breeding in the rolling prairies of western 

 Minnesota during the first half of June. 



WILD TURKEY 



This great game bird is nearing extinction in many sec- 

 tions of the United States. Fifty years ago it was of 

 common occurrence from the Atlantic to Kansas and ]Mis- 

 souri, while today few states can claim tliis noble bird as a 

 resident. A sub-species, the Florida wild turkey, haunts the 

 ahnost inaccessible portions of Florida, Where shrubbery 

 and wild fruits prevail. In the Southwest other varieties 

 still range in the mountainous regions of Missouri, Arkan- 

 sas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. 



In the Aransas Pass region of southwestern Texas I 

 encountered several small flocks of the Mexican wild turkey 

 in February and March, when the gobblers were noisy and 

 aggressive. The Mexicans sometimes use dogs in hunting 

 this gallinaceous fowl; when pursued down hill it does not 

 seem to occur to these birds that escape is possible by flight 

 only and as a result they are caught. I have never known 

 a dog to capture one when the turkey was running up a 

 hill, though turkeys seldom take refuge from a dog by 

 flight. 



Large pecan trees in the mountains, along little streams, 

 are favorite roosting-places for these wild turkeys, which 

 frequent the same tree nightly. Before sunrise the males of 

 these polygamous birds may be seen strutting through the 

 fields with drooping wings, gobbling incessantly and chal- 



