16 WILD TURKEY. 



by the wives of our squatters and farmers. These tippets, when properly 

 made, are extremely beautiful as well as comfortable. 



A long account of the habits of this remarkable bird has already been 

 given in Bonaparte's American Ornithology, vol. i. As that account was 

 in a great measure derived from notes furnished by myself, you need not 

 be surprised, good reader, to find it often in accordance with the above. 



Having now said all that I have thought it might be agreeable to you 

 to know of the history and habits of the Wild Turkey, I proceed to the 

 technical description of that interesting bird. 



Meleagris Gallopavo, Linn. Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 268 — Lath. Iiid. Ornith. p. 618. 



— Ch. Bonaparte, Synops. of Birds of the United States, p. 122. 

 Wild Tuhkey, Ch. Bonaparte, Americ. Ornith. vol. i. p. 79. PI- ix. Male and 



Female. 

 AiiEniCAjf Turkey, Lath. Synops. vol. ii. p. G^6. 



: Adult Male. Plate I. 



Bill shortish, robust, slightly arched, rather obtuse, the base covered 

 by a bare membrane ; upper mandible with the dorsal outline arched, 

 the sides convex, the edges overlapping, the tip a little declinate ; under 

 mandible somewhat bulging towards the tip, the sides convex. Nostrils 

 situated in the basal membrane, oblique, linear, covered above by a carti- 

 lage. Head small, flattened above, with a conical pendulous, erectile 

 caruncle on the forehead. Neck slender. Body robust. Feet longish 

 and strong ; tarsus covered anteriorly with numerous transverse scutella, 

 scaly on the sides, scutellate behind ; toes scutellate above, scabrous, 

 papillar and flat beneath ; hind toe elevated, half the length of the lateral 

 toes, which are nearly equal, and much shorter than the middle toe ; 

 claws slightly arched, strong, convex above, obtuse, flat beneath. A 

 conical, rather obtuse spur on the tarsus, about two-thirds down. 



Conical papilla of the forehead rugose, sparsely covered with bristles. 

 Head bare, and corrugated, the skin irregularly raised, and covered with 

 a few scattered bristles. External ear margined with short and slender 

 thin feathers. Neck also bare, corrugated, beset anteriorly and below 

 with a series of oblong, irregular, cavernous caruncles, interspersed with 

 small bristly feathers. Plumage in general compact, glossy, with metallic 

 reflections. Feathers double, as in other gallinaceous birds, generally 

 oblong and truncated. A pendulous tuft of long bristles from the upper 



