80 BIRDS OF THE WORLD 



oldest types of the Order to which it belongs. The 

 Mexican Wild Turkey is the species from which our 

 domestic Turkeys are descended. Among the many 

 remarkable features of the male Turkey are the curi- 

 ous tuft of hair-like feathers attached to the breast, 

 the bare and brilliantly coloured head and neck, and 

 the long, fleshy, finger-like appendage, or wattle, 

 hanging down over the beak, that can be increased in 

 size at will. This bird is very large, individuals some- 

 times weighing as much as thirty-five pounds. See 

 Plate 27, Fig. 155. 



The actions of the Turkey-cock when "strutting" 

 are very remarkable. The head is drawn sharply 

 backward, the wings dropped, the tail spread like a 

 great wheel, a deep reddish colour suffusing the naked 

 skin of the neck and head, and the stiff primaries of 

 the wings drawn along the ground with a sovmd like 

 distant thunder. 



The male Turkey is irascible in disposition, easily 

 excited to anger, and very aggressive. There are 

 many instances of children having been injured by 

 these great birds, whose size and weight render them 

 formidable. 



The hen Turkey is not so large as her mate, and is 

 not so brilliantly coloured. She is extremely wary 

 and suspicious, especially when she has to protect her 

 young — ungainly-looking little creatures, with long 

 necks and long legs. They are able to walk for many 

 miles, the mother seeming to delight in taking long 

 pilgrimages in search of new feeding-grounds. 



When wild, the Mexican Turkey is extremely shy 

 and ever on the alert, and the sportsman who can add 

 one of these great birds to his game-bag may justly 



