THE WILD TURKEY. 13 
or any shade of white or light fulvous, one may be sure 
it is the farm-yard species, but if they are chestnut- 
brown, it is the common wild bird of the United States. 
A strong reason for asserting that the domestic turkey is 
descended from the variety found in Mexico and the 
South-western States is, that the flesh of both is dry and 
sweet, of a darkish hue on the back and legs, and white 
on the breast and wings, whereas, it is darkish through- 
out in the more northern and eastern bird. 
The farm-yard species is sometimes very much like its 
progenitors, the main difference between them being in 
the greater development of the ‘fatty lobes of the head 
and neck of the former. The changes in color produced 
by domestication are, of course, well known, for some of 
the tame turkeys are totally black, while others have de- 
veloped a tuft on the head, but these variations in hue 
do not disprove the theory about the source whence they 
sprung. The Mexican variety is found in portions of West- 
ern Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and the regions adjoining 
them on the south. According to Prof. Sartorius, it 1s 
very shy, lives in families like wild geese, and is so vigi- 
lant that sentinels are kept on watch when flocks are 
feeding. It is so fleet of foot that some dogs can- 
not overtake it; and it rarely flies to trees except when it 
is very hard pressed, as it depends mainly on running for 
escaping its foes. He thinks it doesnot trail its wings as 
much as its congeners do, as some captured by him did 
not have the ends of these appendages worn away by 
scraping them against the ground. 
During the breeding season, which commences in March 
or April, each hen lays from three to twelve brownish-red, 
spotted eggs. The hatching takes thirty days, and dur- 
ing that time the birds rarely leave their nests, except when 
they go in search of food, and then they cover them with 
leaves or grass to protect them from predaceous animals. 
The wild turkey of the northern and eastern division 
