488 GAME BIRDS, WILD-FOWL AND SHORE BIRDS. 



Female. — ■ Smaller and duller, with little of the brilliant reflections of the 



male. 

 Nest. — On ground, usually under a log or bush. 

 Eggs. — Creamy white, finely spotted with light brown. 

 Notes. — Similar to those of domesticated Turkey. 

 Season. — Formerly resident entire year. 

 Range. — Formerly eastern United States and southern Ontario, mainly 



in forested areas, except in Florida, where its place is taken by another 



race, Meleagris gallopavo osceola (now confined to southern Florida). 



Now extinct in Canada and most of the northern States, and decreasing 



in the south and west. 



History. 



The Wild Turkey of eastern North America should not 

 be confounded with a Mexican species {Meleagris gallopavo 

 gallopavo), which was the progenitor of the domesticated 

 Turkey. The Mexican Turkey was domesticated first by the 

 Aztecs, and later was introduced into Europe by their Spanish 

 conquerors. The Mexican Turkey is a fine bird, but the white 

 spot on its rump rather detracts from its beauty. These white- 

 tipped feathers of the rump and tail coverts usually occur in the 

 domesticated birds of this species, and serve to distinguish 

 them from the Wild Turkey of the United States. 



The discoverers and early explorers of North America 

 found this bird ranging almost the entire length of the 

 Atlantic coast line, from Florida to Nova Scotia, where it 

 roved in great flocks, and often migrated in multitudes in 

 search of food. It seems to have been particularly numerous 

 in Massachusetts and New England. The first settlers found 

 it a vital asset of the land and a substantial source of food 

 supply. 



Champlain (1604) says that the Indians of the Massachu- 

 setts coast described a large bird that came to eat their corn. 

 From their description he judged it to be a Turkey.^ He 

 landed on Cape Cod, and as the Cape was then well wooded, 

 it doubtless was inhabited by this bird. 



Capt. John Smith in 1622 reports "great flocks of turkies" 

 in New England. 



Thomas Morton (1632, Massachusetts) says: "turkies 



1 Champlain, Samuel de: Voyages, Pub. Prince Soc, 1878, Vol. II, p. 88. 



