248 WILD TURKEY. 
the domestic birds of the ancients. Belon and Aldrovandi 
supposed it to have been mentioned by ancient authors, but 
they mistook for it the Nuwmida meleagris of Linné, which 
is actually an African bird, now almost naturalised in America, 
even in a wild state, so that it would be apparently more rea- 
sonable for America to regard that bird as indigenous, than 
that the old continent should lay claim to the turkey. In so 
soon losing sight of the origin of this bird, we see a strong 
exemplification of the ungrateful disposition of man, who can 
durably treasure up the memory of wrongs and injuries, but 
fails to recollect the greatest benefits he has received. It 
would be loss of time to combat the arguments advanced by 
authors, who have deceived themselves in attempting to de- 
prive America of her just title to this bird, since they have 
been fully refuted by the eloquent Buffon ; but we may here 
introduce a sketch of its progress from America througheut 
Europe. 
The first unquestionable description of the turkey was writ- 
ten by Oviedo in 1525, in the summary of his “ History of the 
Indies.” This bird was sent from Mexico to Spain early in the 
sixteenth century; from Spain it was introduced into England 
in 1524. Turkeys were taken to France in the reign of Francis 
the First, whence they spread into Germany, Italy, &c.; a 
few, however, had been carried to the latter country by the 
Spaniards some years previously. ‘The first turkey eaten in 
France appears to have been served up at the wedding banquet 
of Charles the Ninth, in the year 1570. Since that period, 
they have been bred with so much care, that in England, as 
we read in ancient chronicles, their rapid increase rendered 
them attainable at country feasts, where they were a much 
esteemed dish as early as 1585. Europeans conveyed them to 
all their colonies, and thus were they gradually introduced into 
Asia, Africa, and even Oceanica. 
The French distinguished them by the name of Coq et Poule 
d’ Inde (cock and hen from India), because they were natives 
of the West Indies. Subsequently, for the sake of brevity, — 


