WILD TURKEY. 
341 
Early in March they begin to pair ; and, for a short time 
previous, the females separate from, and shun their mates, 
though the latter pertinaciously follow them, uttering their 
gobbling note. The sexes roost apart, but at no great distance, 
so that, when the female utters a call, every male within hear- 
ing responds, rolling note after note, in the most rapid succes- 
sion ; not as when spreading the tail and strutting near the 
hen, but in a voice resembling that of the tame turkey, when 
he hears any unusual or frequently repeated noise. Where the 
turkeys are numerous, the woods, from one end to the other, 
sometimes for hundreds of miles, resound with this remarkable 
voice of their wooing, uttered responsively from their roosting 
places. This is continued for about an hour ; and, on the ri- 
sing of the sun, they silently descend from their perches, and 
the males begin to strut, for the purpose of winning the admi- 
ration of their mates. 
If the call be given from the ground, the males in the vici- 
nity fly towards the individual, and, whether they perceive her 
or not, erect and spread their tails, throw the head backwards, 
distend the comb and wattles, strut pompously, and rustle 
their wings and body feathers, at the same moment ejecting a 
puff of air from the lungs. Whilst thus occupied, they occa- 
sionally halt to look out for the female, and then resume their 
strutting and puffing, moving with as much rapidity as the na- 
ture of their gait will admit. During this ceremonious ap- 
proach, the males often encounter each other, and desperate 
battles ensue, when the conflict is only terminated by the flight 
or death of the vanquished. 
This pugnacious disposition is not to be regarded as acci- 
dental, but as resulting from a wise and excellent law of 
nature, who always studies the good of the species, without 
regard to the individuals. Did not females prefer the most 
perfect of their species, and were not the favours of beauty 
most willingly dispensed to the victorious, feebleness and de- 
generacy would soon mark the animal creation ; but, in con- 
sequence of this general rule, the various races of animals are 
