THE 
AMERICAN NATURALIST. 
VoL. x1.— JUNE, 1877. — No. 6. 
THE WILD TURKEY AND ITS DOMESTICATION. 
h BY HON. J. D. CATON. 
I HAVE been well acquainted with the wild turkey (Meleagris 
gallopavo) of this country for over forty years, and have ha 
good opportunities of studying it in its wild state, and for more 
than ten years past I have raised it in domestication, having had 
sometimes over ninety in my grounds at one time, and having 
raised more than sixty in a single year. Some observations on 
their habits and domestication may not be uninteresting. 
My original stock was procured from eggs taken from the nest 
of the wild hen, in the woods, and raised under the common hen, 
and it has been twice replenished in the same way, on one occa- 
sion with seven individuals. The purity of the stock, therefore, 
cannot be questioned; but still more conclusive evidence was ` 
in the markings, so fully and accurately described by Audubon, 
Baird, and others. I know of no bird or animal where the 
markings are more constant or reliable than on the wild turkey ; 
even to the number of bars on a given quill of the wing, for in- 
stance, which may be relied upon to identify it. 
The young bird from the egg of the wild turkey, when 
brought up in close intimacy with the human family, becomes 
very tame, and when grown the males become vicious and attack 
children and even grown persons. I once had eight hatched out 
bya hen, and gave them in charge to the wife of a tenant, with 
stimulating promises if she raised them, and she did it nicely. 
They were allowed to go into the house, to fly upon the table, 
and to eat with the children. Until they were grown, any 
member of the family could go up to one and pick it up at any 
time, but they were afraid of strangers, and if anything excited 
= suspicion they would take wing and be off like a flock of 
* quails, 
At first I procured but a single pair of wild turkeys. The sea- 
inina 
Copyright, 1877, by A. 8. PACKARD, JR. 
