340 
WILD TURKEY. 
portance, as if they would animate their companions, and in- 
spire them with the utmost degree of hardihood ; the females 
and young also assume much of the pompous air of the males, 
the former spreading their tails, and moving silently around. 
At length the assembled multitude mount to the tops of the 
highest trees, whence, at a signal note from a leader, the whole 
together wing their way towards the opposite shore. All the 
old and fat ones cross without difficulty, even when the river 
exceeds a mile in width ; but the young, meagre, and weak, fre- 
quently fall short of the desired landing, and are forced to swim 
for their lives ; this they do dexterously enough, spreading their 
tails for a support, closing their wings to the body, stretching 
the neck forwards, and striking out quickly and forcibly with 
their legs. If, in thus endeavouring to regain the land, they 
approach an elevated or inaccessible bank, their exertions are 
remitted, they resign themselves to the stream for a short time, 
in order to gain strength, and then, with one violent effort, 
escape from the water. But in this attempt all are not suc- 
cessful; some of the' weaker, as they cannot rise sufficiently 
high in air to clear the bank, fall again and again into the 
water, and thus miserably perish. Immediately after these 
birds have succeeded in crossing a river, they for some time 
ramble about without any apparent unanimity of purpose, and 
a great many are destroyed by the hunters, although they are 
then least valuable. 
When the turkeys have arrived in their land of abundance, 
they disperse in small flocks, composed of individuals of all 
sexes and ages intermingled, who devour all the mast as they 
advance ; this occurs about the middle of November. It has 
been observed, that, after these long journeys, the turkeys be- 
come so familiar as to venture on the plantations, and even 
approach so near the farm-houses as to enter the stables and 
corn- cribs in search of food ; in this way they pass the autumn, 
and part of the winter. During this season great numbers are 
killed by the inhabitants, who preserve them in a frozen state 
in order to transport them to a distant market. 
