AND AMERICAN RURAL SPORTS. 
15 
“ Before leaving the nest with her young brood, the 
mother shakes herself in a violent manner, picks and ad- 
justs the feathers about her belty, and assumes quite a dif- 
ferent aspect. She alternately inclines her eyes oblique- 
ly upwards and sideways, stretching out her neclt to dis- 
cover hawks or other enemies, spreads her wings a little as 
she walks, and softly clucks to keep her innocent offspring 
close to her. They move slowly along, and as the 
hatching generally takes place in the afternoon, they 
frequently return to the nest to spend the first night 
there. After this, they remove to some distance, 
keeping on the highest undulated grounds, the mother 
dreading rainy weather, which is extremely dangerous to 
the young, in this tender state, when they are only co- 
vered by a kind of soft hairy down, of surprising delicacy. 
In very rainy seasons, Turkeys are scarce, for if once com- 
pletely wetted, the young seldom recover. To prevent the 
disastrous effects of rainy weather, the mother, like a skil- 
ful physician, plucks the buds of the spice-wood bush, and 
gives them to her young, 
“In about a fortnight, the young birds, which had pre- 
viously rested on the ground, leave it, and fly, at night, 
to some very large low branch, where they place them- 
selves under the deeply-curved wings of their kind and 
careful parent, dividing themselves for that purpose into 
two nearly equal parties. After this, they leave the woods 
during the day, and approach the natural glades or prai- 
ries, in search of strawberries, and subsequently of dew- 
berries, blackberries, and grasshoppers, thus obtaining 
abundant food, and enjoying the beneficial influence of the 
sun’s rays. They roll themselves in deserted ants’ nests, 
to clear their growing feathers of the loose scales, and pre- 
vent ticks and other vermin from attacking them, these 
insects being unable to bear the odour of the earth in 
which ants have been. 
“The young Turkeys now advance rapidly in growth, 
and in the month of August are able to secure themselves 
from unexpected attacks of wolves, foxes, lynxes, and even 
cougars, by rising quickly from the ground, by the help 
of their powerful legs, and reaching with ease the highest 
branches of the tallest trees. The young cocks show the 
tuft on the breast about this time, and begin to gobble and 
strut, while the young hens pur and leap in the manner 
which I have already described. 
“ About the beginning of October, when scarcely any 
of the seeds and fruits have yet fallen from the trees, these 
birds assemble in flocks, and gradually move towards the 
rich bottom lands of the Ohio and Mississippi. The males, 
or as they are more commonly called, the gobblers, asso- 
ciate in parties of from ten to a hundred, and search for 
food apart from the females; while the latter are seen 
either advancing singly, each with its brood of young, 
then about two-thirds grown, or in connexion with other 
families, forming parties often amounting to seventy or 
eighty individuals, all intent on shunning the old cocks, 
which, even when the young birds have attained this size, 
will fight with, and often destroy them by repeated blows 
on the head. Old and young, however, all move in the 
same course, and on foot, unless their progress be inter- 
rupted by a river, or the hunter’s dog force them to take 
wing. When they come upon a river, they betake 
themselves to the highest eminences, and there often re- 
main a whole day, or sometimes two, as if for the purpose 
of consultation. During this time, the males are heard 
gobbling, calling, and making much ado, and are seen 
strutting about, as if to raise their courage to a pitch be- 
fitting the emergency. Even the females and young as- 
sume something of the same pompous demeanour, spread 
out their tails and run round each other, purring loudly, 
and performing extravagant leaps. At length, when the 
weather appears settled, and all around is quiet, the whole 
party mounts to the tops of the highest trees, whence at a 
signal, consisting of a single cluck, given by a leader, 
the flock takes flight for the opposite shore. The- old 
and fat birds easily get over, even should the river be a 
mile in breadth, but the younger and less robust, frequent- 
ly fall into the water, — not to be drowned, however, as 
might be imagined. They bring their wings close to their 
body, spread out their tail as a support, stretch forward 
their neck, and striking out their legs with great vigour, 
proceed rapidly towards the shore, on approaching which, 
should they find it too steep for landing, they cease their 
exertions for a few moments, float down the stream until 
they come to an accessible part, and by a violent effort 
generally extricate themselves from the water. It is re- 
markable, that immediately after thus crossing a large 
stream, they ramble about for some time, as if bewildered. 
In this state, they fall an easy prey to the hunter. 
“When the Turkeys arrive in parts where the mast is 
abundant, they separate into smaller flocks, composed of 
birds of all ages and both sexes, promiscuously mingled, 
and devour all before them. This happens about the mid- 
dle of November. So gentle do they sometimes become 
after these long journeys, that they have been seen to ap- 
proach the farm-houses, associate with the domestic fowls, 
and enter the stables and corn-cribs in quest of food. In 
this way, roaming about the forests, and feeding chiefly on 
mast, they pass the autumn and part of the winter. 
“As early as the middle of February, they begin to 
experience the impulse of propagation. The females se- 
parate, and fly from the males. The latter strenuously pur- 
sue, and begin to gobble or to utter the notes of exulta- 
