WILD TURKEY. 249 
they called them Dindon, an appellation which is yet retained. 
The English name is still worse, as it conveys the false idea 
that the turkey originated in Asia, owing to the ridiculous 
habit, formerly prevalent, of calling every foreign object by 
the name of Turk, Indian, &e. 
Although the turkey is generally considered a stupid bird, 
it is probable that his intellectual qualifications have not been 
fairly appreciated, as he is susceptible of very lively emotions. 
If any new and remarkable object attracts the attention of 
the male, his whole appearance and demeanour undergo a 
sudden and extraordinary change: relinquishing his peaceful 
aspect, he boldly raises himself, his head and neck become 
turgid, and the wattles, from an influx of blood, glow with 
vivid red; he bristles up the feathers of the neck and back, 
his tail is vertically raised and expanded like a fan, and the 
wing- feathers are extended until they touch the ground. ‘hus 
transformed, he utters a low, humming sound, and advances 
with a grave and haughty strut, occasionally accelerating his 
steps, and, at the same time, rubbing the tips of the primary 
feathers violently against the earth. During these manceuvres, 
he now and then utters a harsh, interrupted, and dissonant 
note, apparently expressive of the highest degree of rage : 
this cry, sounding like rook, oorook, oorook, will be repeated 
at the pleasure of any person who should whistle, or strike the 
ear of the bird by any other acute or unusual sound. ‘The 
appearance of any red cloth is sure to awaken his anger, and 
induce him to rush fearlessly on the disagreeable object, exert- 
ing all his power to injure or destroy it. 
In connection with the peculiar character of this bird, we 
may advantageously quote the sentiments of the great Fran- 
klin, who expressed a regret that the turkey should not have 
been preferred to the bald eagle as an emblem of the United 
States. Certainly this eagle is a tyrannical and pusillanimous 
bird, by no means an appropriate representative of a great and 
Inagnanimous nation, as was the eagle chosen by the Romans. 
“ Others object to the bald eagle,” says Franklin, in one of 
