﻿BIRDS 
  OF 
  NEW 
  YORK 
  379 
  

  

  powerful 
  beak, 
  and 
  to 
  standing 
  grain, 
  grapes 
  etc., 
  which 
  are 
  near 
  its 
  favorite 
  haunts. 
  It 
  does 
  much 
  

   good, 
  on 
  the 
  other 
  hand, 
  by 
  destroying 
  large 
  quantities 
  of 
  grasshoppers, 
  June 
  beetles, 
  caterpillars, 
  

   and 
  weed 
  seeds, 
  and 
  needs 
  little 
  recommendation 
  as 
  a 
  game 
  bird 
  in 
  districts 
  where 
  the 
  grouse 
  and 
  

   Bobwhite 
  have 
  disappeared. 
  

  

  Family 
  MELEA.GFeiDA.E> 
  

  

  Turkeys 
  

  

  Turkeys 
  have 
  the 
  head 
  and 
  upper 
  neck 
  naked, 
  except 
  a 
  few 
  stiff 
  bris- 
  

   tles, 
  and 
  wrinkled 
  and 
  wattled, 
  with 
  an 
  erectile 
  process 
  growing 
  on 
  the 
  

   forehead. 
  The 
  tarsi 
  are 
  naked, 
  scutellate, 
  and 
  spurred 
  in 
  the 
  male. 
  Tail 
  

   broad, 
  rounded, 
  of 
  14 
  to 
  18 
  truncated 
  feathers. 
  

  

  Turkeys 
  are 
  an 
  American 
  family, 
  the 
  brilliant 
  Ocellated 
  turkey 
  being 
  

   a 
  native 
  of 
  Yucatan, 
  and 
  the 
  more 
  familiar 
  Wild 
  turkey 
  in 
  its 
  various 
  

   forms, 
  or 
  subspecies, 
  ranging 
  through 
  Mexico 
  and 
  the 
  eastern 
  United 
  

   States. 
  The 
  Mexican 
  form 
  was 
  the 
  original 
  of 
  the 
  domestic 
  race 
  which 
  was 
  

   established 
  in 
  Europe 
  as 
  early 
  as 
  1530, 
  and 
  has 
  become 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  most 
  

   important 
  birds 
  of 
  the 
  world 
  from 
  an 
  economic 
  standpoint. 
  The 
  scientific 
  

   name 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  is 
  a 
  misnomer, 
  being 
  the 
  original 
  name 
  of 
  the 
  Guinea 
  hen, 
  

   and 
  if 
  the 
  popular 
  impression 
  of 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  common 
  name 
  is 
  correct, 
  

   this 
  is 
  a 
  misnomer 
  also, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  probable, 
  as 
  has 
  been 
  suggested, 
  that 
  the 
  

   common 
  name 
  has 
  reference 
  to 
  the 
  call 
  note 
  of 
  the 
  bird 
  which 
  resembles 
  

   the 
  S3dlables 
  turk, 
  turk, 
  turk. 
  The 
  Wild 
  turkey 
  is 
  our 
  noblest 
  game 
  bird, 
  

   but 
  is 
  difficult 
  to 
  hunt 
  successfully 
  in 
  sportsmanlike 
  manner, 
  and 
  has 
  long 
  

   since 
  disappeared 
  from 
  the 
  more 
  settled 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  country. 
  

  

  Meleagris 
  gallopavo 
  silvestris 
  (Vieillot) 
  

  

  Wild 
  Turkey 
  

  

  Meleagris 
  silvestris 
  Vieillot. 
  Nouv. 
  Diet. 
  d'Hist. 
  Nat. 
  1817. 
  9:447 
  

   Meleagris 
  gallopavo 
  DeKav. 
  Zool. 
  N. 
  Y. 
  1844. 
  pt 
  2, 
  p. 
  199, 
  fig. 
  172 
  

  

  A. 
  O. 
  ll. 
  Check 
  List. 
  Ed. 
  2. 
  1895. 
  ^o- 
  31° 
  

  

  meled'gris, 
  Gr. 
  /xeXeaypts, 
  Lat. 
  meleagris, 
  the 
  guinea 
  fowl; 
  gallopd'vo, 
  Lat. 
  

   gallus, 
  cock, 
  and 
  pavo, 
  peafowl; 
  stive' 
  stris, 
  of 
  the 
  woodland 
  

  

  Distinctive 
  marks. 
  The 
  common 
  Wild 
  turkey 
  resembles 
  the 
  well 
  

   known 
  "Bronzed 
  turkey" 
  of 
  the 
  domestic 
  race, 
  but 
  the 
  erectile 
  process 
  

   on 
  the 
  forehead 
  is 
  less 
  developed; 
  tip 
  of 
  the 
  tail 
  deep 
  rusty 
  or 
  chestnut, 
  and 
  

   the 
  tail 
  coverts 
  tipped 
  with 
  deep, 
  rich 
  chestnut. 
  

  

  