of the Turkey. 69 
Size* The fizes of the wild Turkies have been dif- 
ferently reprefented. Some writers afiert, that 
there have been inftances of their weighing fixty 
pounds; but I find none who, fpeaking from 
their own knowlege, can prove their weight to 
be above forty, josselyn fays, that he has 
eaten part of a cock, which after it was plucked, 
and the entrails taken out, weighed thirty*. 
lawson, whofe authority is unquefiionable, faw 
half a Turkey ferve eight hungry men for two 
meals f ; and fays, that he had feen others which 
he believed weighed forty pounds, catesby tells 
us, that out of the many hundreds which he had 
handled § , very few exceeded thirty pounds; 
each of thefe fpeakof their being double that fize 
merely from the reports of others. 
Manners. The manners of thefe birds are as lingular as 
their figure. Their attitudes in the feafon of court - 
Ihip are very ftriking. The males fling their heads 
and neck backwards, briftle up their feathers, drop 
their wings to the ground, firut and pace moll ridi- 
culoufiy ; wheel round the females with their 
wings ru filing along the earth, at the fame time 
emitting a ftrange found through their nofirils 
KoteSi not unlike the Grurr of a great fpinning wheel. 
On being interrupted they fly into great rages, and 
change their notes into a loud and guttural gobble, 
* New England Rarities, p. 8. 
f Hiftory of Carolina, p. 149. and 27. 
§ App. XLIV. The greateft certain weight is giren by Mr, cxayton, wh<y 
faw one. that reached 38 lbs. Phil, Tranf. 
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