WILD TURKEY. 241 
period of incubation, &c., appear to correspond throughout 
the Union, as I have received exactly similar accounts from 
the northern limits of the turkey range to the most southern re- 
gions of Florida, Louisiana, and the western wilds of Missouri. 
The female always approaches her nest with great caution, 
varying her course so as rarely to reach it twice by the same 
route ; and, on leaving her charge, she is very careful to cover 
the whole with dry leaves, with which she conceals it so art- 
fully, as to make it extremely difficult, even for one who has 
watched her movements, to indicate the exact spot; hence 
few nests are found, and these are generally discovered by 
fortuitously starting the female from them, or by the appear- 
ance of broken shells, scattered around by some cunning lynx, 
fox, or crow. When laying or sitting, the turkey-hen is not 
readily driven from her post by the approach of apparent 
danger; but, if an enemy appears, she crouches as low as 
possible, and suffers it to pass. A circumstance related by 
Mr Audubon will show how much intelligence they display on 
such occasions: having discovered a sitting hen, he remarked 
that, by assuming a careless air, whistling, or talking to him- 
self, he was permitted to pass within five or six feet of her ; 
but, if he advanced cautiously, she would not suffer him to 
come within twenty paces, but ran off twenty or thirty yards 
with her tail expanded, when, assuming a stately gait, she 
paused on every step, occasionally uttering a chuck. They 
seldom abandon their nests on account of being discovered by 
man, but should a snake, or any other animal, suck one of the 
eggs, the parent leaves them altogether. If the eggs be re- 
moved, she again seeks the male, and recommences laying, 
though otherwise she lays but one nest of eges during the 
season. Several turkey-hens sometimes associate, perhaps for 
mutual safety, deposit their eggs in the same nest, and rear 
their broods together. Mr Audubon once found three females 
sitting on forty-two eggs. In such cases the nest is constantly 
guarded by one of the parties, so that no crow, raven, nor even 
polecat, dares approach it. 
VOL, III. Q 
