284 JIELEAGEID^. 



the Game-Birds. Their large size, the peculiar form and texture of their body-feathers, 

 which are trancate, and their carunculated heads and necks, separate the Turkeys from 

 the rest of the true Game-Birds, and we have distinguished them accordingly. . 



MELEAGKIS. 



Meleagris, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 268 (1766) ; Grant, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xxii. p. 386 (1893). 

 Agriocharis, Chapman, Bull. Amer. Mus. viii. p. 298 (1896) ; Sharpe, Hand-list Birds, i. p. 43 (1899) . 



The characters for the genus are the same as those for the family. 



We recognize three species of Meleagris : of these, M. americana inhabits Southern 

 Canada and the eastern States of North America * ; M. gallopavo occurs in Mexico 

 and extends northwards into Texas and Arizona ; and the beautiful M. ocellata is 

 found in Yucatan, British Honduras, and Northern Guatemala. 



1. Meleagris gallopavo. 



Meleagris gallopavo, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 268^; Grant, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xxii. p. 387 ° j 



Handb. Game-Birds, ii. p. 103 ' ; Ibis, 1902, p. 235 * ; Cones, Auk, xiv. p. 272 ° ; Nelson, 



Auk, xvii. p. 123 ". 

 Meleagris mexicana, Gould, P. Z. S. 1856, p. 61 ^ ; Am. Journ. Sci. xxii. p. 139 ' ; Edinb. New 



Phil. Journ. n. s. iv. p. 371 ° ; Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. (2) xix. p. 107 " ; EUiot, Birds N. 



Am. ii. t. 38"; Monogr. Phas. t. 32'' ; Nelson, Auk, xvii. pp. 122, 123". 

 Meleagris gallopavo mexicana, Bendire, Life Hist. N. Amer. Birds, p. 116, t. 3. fig. 15 ^'' ; A. O. U. 



Check-1. N. Amer. Birds, 2nd ed. p. 118 ". 

 Meleagris gallopavo, var. intermedia, Sennett, Bull. U. S. Geol. & Geogr. Surv. v. p. 428 ". 

 Meleagris gallopavo intermedia. Grant, Ibis, 1902, p. 235 ". 

 Meleagris gallopavo ellioti, Sennett, Auk, ix. p. 167, t. 3 " ; A. O. U. Check-1. N. Amer, Birds, 



2nd ed. p. 118 ". 

 Meleagris ellioti, Grant, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. xxii. p. 388 " ; Handb. Game-Birds, ii. p. 105 ". 

 Meleagris gallopavo merriami. Nelson, Auk, xvii. p. 120 " ; Goldman, Auk, xix. pp. 121-127 " ; 



AUen, Auk, xix. p. 311 '*; Nelson, Auk, xix. p. 388 ''. 



Nigricans, aeneo, cuprescenti-viridi, vel purpurascenti-aeneo mieans ; pectore medio plumis nigris criniformibus 

 omato ; STipracaudalibus rectricibusque late albo terminatis, his externis tamen fascia subterminali nigra 

 medialiter metallica instructis ; capitis collique parte nuda pallida coccinea. Long, tota circa 43-0, 

 alse 21-0, caudse 15-5, tarsi 7'0. (Descr. exempl. typ. M. mexicaiKe, Gould. Mus. Brit.) 

 5 mari similis, sed minor, gastraei plumis albo Hmbatis, plumis pectoris criniformibus distinguenda. Long. 

 tota circa 40-0, alae 17"9, caudae 14-3, tarsi 5-3. (Descr. feminse adulti ex Ciudad in Durango. ilus. 

 nostr.) 



Hab. NoETH America, South-western United States, from Western Texas to Arizona ^ i5^ 

 lowlands of Southern Texas ^^ ^^, New Mexico ^^, Eio Grande ^^, and Arizona ^ ^- ^^. 

 — Mexico, El Salto in Durango (Nelson i^), Ciudad in Durango (Forrer ^), Real del 

 Monte Mines '^, Bolanos in Jalisco ^^ (^Floresi), Tamaulipas {Richardson 2°). 



* Birds from Florida have been separated as a subspecies under the name of M. gallopavo osceola ; they have 

 the white bars on the primaries narrower and pale chestnut tips to the tail-feathers. 



