CHAPTER VII 



ASSOCIATION OF SEXES 



ONCE I saw fifteen gobblers feeding in 

 a hollow between two ridges. I dis- 

 mounted from my horse, crawling to 

 the brow of the hill in order that I might peep 

 over and have a good look at them. I had 

 no gun with me at the time, so I lay upon 

 the ground and watched the turkeys feeding 

 and scratching for about two hours. They were 

 apparently all of one flock; but finally a party 

 of nine, all of which were old gobblers, having 

 long beards that trailed upon the ground as 

 they fed, withdrew in one direction, while the 

 other six, which were young or yearling gobblers 

 and beardless, departed in another direction. 

 This was done without any signal that I could 

 discern. A few days later, as I was passing the 

 same place with my rifle, I found, right on the 

 identical spot, the same fifteen gobblers, nine old 



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