228 BRITISH AND EUROPEAN BIRDS. 



The Turkey-Cock ( 38 ) strutted his ladies beside, 

 And, with "Gob, Gobble," note, spread his tail fea- 

 thers wide ; 



( 38 ) Order, Galling, (Linn.) Turkey, the Common, the 



Horned. 



The genus Mele a Gnis, (Linn.) or Turkey, consists of two spe- 

 cies only, distinguished by a conic, incurvate bill ; head covered 

 with spongy caruncles, chin with a longitudinal membraneous ca- 

 runcle ; tail hroad, expansile; legs spurred. They are as follow : 



The Gallipavo, or Common-Turkey, is above three feet and 

 a half long; domesticated every where; varies much in its co- 

 lours; its most predominant is black, mixed with shades of white; 

 caruncles red. In its wild state lives in woods, feeding on nuts, 

 acorns, and insects ; originally anative of America, where it is now 

 found in great plenty, as well as the West Indies, constituting a 

 great part of the food of the natives, although never reduced by 

 them to a state of domestication : hunting the turkey is a sport 

 in which the savage delights. The cock makes occasionally a pe- 

 culiar noise, not easily described. In their wild state, turkeys are 

 much larger, more hardy and beautiful, than in captivity. The 

 male wild turkey found in the American woods is nearly four 

 feet long ; the female three feet and a quarter. This bird, the 

 young of which are so tender with us, multiplies abundantly in 

 the large forests of Canada, which are a great part of the year 

 covered with snow. Eggs from ten to twenty-five; time of in- 

 cubation from twenty-six to twenty-nine or more days. The 

 common domesticated turkey is a sluggish, cowardly bird, 

 formidable in appearance only. A common game cock will at- 

 tack many at once, and, from his activity, frequently comes off 

 unhurt. This bird has an antipathy to red colours. The best 

 turkeys in this country are bred in Norfolk : in breeding, one 

 cock is sufficient for six hens. The hen will cover from nine to 

 fifteen eggs. She is a steady setter, and will sometimes continue 

 upon her eggs until almost starved; hence she should be pro- 

 vided with food and water during her incubation. I cannot 



