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THE WILD TURKEY. 
and fires at them. By a kind of infatuation, 
the report of the gun does not seem to 
frighten the turkeys. It is enough for them 
that no owl is in sight ; and they keep their 
places, though their wounded companions are 
dropping from the boughs beside them. 
One of the pleasures of Indian life is hunt- 
ing the turkey; and the Indians, who dearly 
love finery, adorn themselves with the feathers. 
The women make smart fans, and head-dresses, 
of the tail ; and also cloaks, and mantles, 
of the fibres of the birch with the turkej^'s 
feathers woven in, puting the bright colours 
on the outer side. 
But I have said enough about the turkey. 
I daresay you have always thought him a 
vain and stupid bird ; and so he seems to be 
in the poultry-yard, with his odd, pompous 
ways, and his tyranny over the weaker fowls. 
You will see, however, that the turkeys in 
their wild state are not without their good 
qualities. The friendship, and watchfulness 
they display for each other, and the care of 
the mothers for their little ones, are enough to 
redeem the turkey character from contempt. 
Indeed, the gireat Franklin always regretted 
