The great timidity and continual apprehension of danger found in the Wild Turkey, may at times 

 be turned to the advantage of their enemies, as it may make them more readily bewildered or confused, 

 and lead to their easy capture and destruction. Still, this is not by any means their general reputation, 

 as they seldom show a lack of "presence of mind" under the most trying circumstances, and use all their 

 resources to evade danger most admirably, and by running, flying, and concealing themselves on the 

 ground and in the trees they manage to get out the way of both man and dog quite miraculously. 



Some years since, during a severe blow and snow-storm, a large flock of these birds lost their "points 

 of compass," and were driven into the city of Circleville, and, notwithstanding the great number of per- 

 sons with guns and dogs that were after them immediately, they managed to get back to the woods again 

 with the loss of only three or four of their number. They do, however, occasionally seem to show a 

 very great want of ordinary sagacity, or rather, are sometimes found doing things not at all compliment- 

 ary to their high reputation for shrewdness. Audubon fired into a flock of about thirty gobblers and 

 killed three, and says : " The rest, instead of flying off*, fell a strutting around their dead companions, 

 and had I not looked upon shooting again as murder without necessity, I might have secured at least 

 another." I once witnessed quite as silly a performance, while on a hunting excursion with a friend, near 

 the mouth of Turkey River, in Clayton county, Iowa. It was the first of October, and fires were sweep- 

 ing off" the light vegetation, passing from the Mississippi westward. As if proceeding from the smoky 

 district, and distinct from the roar of fire and wind and crackling of burning vegetation, we heard 

 the voices of a multitude of Turkeys calling as if lost or in great distress. We were soon within 

 twenty yards of the spot, with smoke and fire intervening. We now had a fair view, at every 

 change of smoke and wind, of nearly fifty large Turkeys, standing in a compact circular mass, calling 

 in their loudest tones, and whenever the fire approached sufficiently near to burn any one, that one 

 Avould jump up in the air four or five feet, uttering their peculiar cry of pain, and instantly the 

 whole mass would undergo silent but rapid confusion. Again they would form the circle, with heads 

 erect, and commence their united and sorrowful utterances. They appeared distressed, confused, and 

 almost paralyzed with fear, and gave no regard to our presence, although much of the time we were in 

 open view. We watched these singular but unvaried movements for considerable time, but did not wait 

 for the conclusion of the matter, as we preferred to see them roasted in another way, and, by signal fired 

 into the black mass. One came tumbling, through the line of fire and smoke, down the hill, directly at 

 our feet, tr3dng to fly with one wing. He soon discovered this could not be accomplished, and put his 

 legs to their most important use. The ground being just burnt over was clear of every thing but trees, 

 bushes, and old logs, and by this and my best efforts I was enabled to keep in sight. After running a 

 mile or more, I noted the disappearance of my leader by the side of a large black log far in the distance. 

 I now slackened my pace most joyfully and reloaded my gun, took a position in shooting distance, 

 and tried to signal my companion. He soon came up, and asked how the race had been decided. I told 

 my story and showed him the log, but he only laughed at my credulity as the result of a florid complex- 

 ion. We walked up to the pkice, and, when Avithin a few feet of the spot, we saw^ the bird stretched 

 out and wedged under the fallen tree almost invisible. We approached, little by little, until both ex- 

 claimed aloud "he is dead," and I stooped to pick up the bird, when he Avent out and off like a race 

 horse, and w^as out of shot in the thick timber before either of us could recover from the unexpected 

 backset. My friend was asthmatic, so it fell to my lot to again give chase, and a half-mile or more was 

 made in good time; finally I gained on him sufficiently to get a shot, which terminated the race in my 

 favor, leaving the question of sense and sagacity unsettled. 



Hunger frequently makes the Wild Turkey less than ordinarily cautious, and taking advantage of 

 this fact, during the winter, by a very simple device called a "pen," many thousands have paid the 

 forfeit of their lives by walking unconsciously into this little, parlor. J. J. Audubon describes these pens 



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