444 BIRDS — MELKAGRIDiE. 



Meleageis gallopavo L. 

 var. AMERICANA (Bartr.) Coues. 



Common. "Wild Turliey. 



Meleagria gallopavo, Bonaparte, Am. Orn., i, 1825, 80. — Kietland, Prelim. Rep. Ohio 

 Geolog. Snrv., 1838, 67 ; Ohio Geolog. Surv., 1838, 164.— Ndttall, Man. 2d edition, i, 

 1840, 773.— Audubon, B. Am., v, 1842, 42.— Read, Proo. Phila. Acad. Nat. Sci , vi, 

 1853, 395.— Wheaton, Ohio Agrio. Rep. for 1860, 1861, 367 ; Reprint, 9.— Langdon, 

 Summer Birds, Jonrn. Cin. Soo. Nat. Hiat., iii, 1880, 226 ; Field Notes, ib., 1880, 126. 



Meleagria gallipavo, var. americana, Wheaton, Food of Birds, Ohio Agrio. Rep. for 1874, 

 1875, 571 ; Reprint, 11. 



Meleagris gallopavo, var. americana, Langdon, Cat. Birds of Cin., 1877, 13. 



Meleagria gallopavo, var. gallopavo, Langdon, Revised List, Journ. Cin. Soc. Nat. Hist., i, 

 1879, 181 ; Reprint, 15. 



Wild Turkey, Kirtland, Fam. Visitor, i, 1850, 1. 



Meleagria gallopavo, LiNNiEUS, Fn. Suec, No. 198. 



Meleagris americana, Barteam, Trav., 1791, 290. 



Meleagria gallopavo, var. americana, Coues, Key, 1872, 222. 



Meleagria gallopavo, var. gallopavo, Baird, Brewer and Ridgway, iii, 1874, 404. 



Naked skin of head and neck livid- bine ; general color copper-bronze with copper and 

 green reflection, each feather with a narrow black border ; all the quills brown closely 

 barred with white ; tail chestnut barred with black and a broad snbterminal black 

 bar. Tip of tail feathers and upper tail coverts lighter chestnut. Length, 3-4 feet. 



Habitat, of var. americana, the Eastern Province of the United States and portions of 

 Canada Of true gallopavo, the southern portions of the Middle Province and south- 

 wards. 



Fomerly abundant and resident, breeding throughout the State. Now 

 exterminated in the more thickly settled portions, but still common in 

 some northwestern counties. Breeds. Dr. Kirtland (1850) speaks of the 

 time when Wild Turkeys were more common than tame ones are now. 

 Mr. Bead said, in 1853, that it was still common. Thirty years since it 

 was quite common in Middle Ohio, but rapidly decreased in numbers, 

 until it has been extremely rare in this county during the last ten years. 



The few which remain exhibit great intuitive or acquired cunning in 

 avoiding detection. As if aware that their safety depended on their pre- 

 serving an incognito when observed, they effect the unconcern of their 

 tame relatives so long as a threatened danger is passive or unavoidable. 

 I have known them to remain quietly perched upon a fence while a team 

 passed by ; and one occasion knew a couple of hunters to be so confused 

 by the actions of a flock of five, which deliberately walked in front of 

 them, mounted a fence and disappeared leasurely over a low hill before 

 they were able to decide them to be wild No sooner were they out of 

 sight than they took to their legs and then to their wings, soon placing 



