178 
MELEAGRIS GALLOPAVO. 
whence they spread into Germany, Italy, &c. ; a Kg 
however, had been carried to the latter country by 
Spaniards, some years previously. The first tur»A 
eaten in France appears to have been served up a* * , 
wedding- banquet of Charles the Ninth, in the 
1570. Since that period they have been bred with’, 
much care, that, in England, as we read in aoC ’u( 
chronicles, their rapid increase rendered them attain® j 
at country feasts, where they were a much estee 1 ®*,, 
dish as early as 1585. Europeans conveyed then 1 ^ 
all their colonies, and thus were they gradually i®^ 
duccd into Asia, Africa, and even Ooeanica. 
The French distinguished them by the name of „ 
ct Poule d’Inde, (cock and hen from India,) 
they were natives of the West Indies. Subsequently \ 
the sake of brevity, they called them Dindo’h ( 
appellation which is yet retained. The English 
is still worse, as it conveys the false idea that ^ 
turkey originated in Asia, owing to the ridi« rt ., ( t 
habit, formerly prevalent, of calling every foreign obi 
by the name of Turk, Indian, &e. jj 
Although the turkey is generally considered a 
bird, it is probable that his intellectual qualiti®*, / 
have not been fairly appreciated, as he is susceptibly 
very lively emotions. If any new and rematb' 1 ,, 
object attracts the attention of the male, his p' 1 ',,,! 
appearance and demeanour underg-o a sudden 
extraordinary change : relinquishing his peaceful asl’®,, 
he boldly raises himself, his head and neck be 1 ' 1 ’ ,f 
turgid, and the wattles, from an influx of blood, 
with vivid red ; he bristles up the feathers of the 
and back, his tail is vertically raised and expanded®, 
a fan, and the wing-feathers are extended until f 
toucli the ground. Thus transformed, he utters a uf 
humming sound, and advances with a ^rave and ha»r jj,i; j 
strut, occasionally accelerating his steps, and, c f, 
same time, rubbing the tips of the primary 
violently against the earth. During these man®' 1 ! 
he now and then utters a harsh, interrupted, and t i 
nant note, apparently expressive of the highest d''i 
