342 
WILD TURKEY. 
propagated by those individuals who are not only most to be 
admired for external appearance, but most to be valued for 
their intrinsic spirit and energy. 
When the object of his pursuit is discovered, if the female 
be more than one year old, she also struts, and even gobbles, 
evincing much desire ; she turns proudly round the strutting 
male, and, suddenly opening her wings, throws herself towards 
him, as if to terminate his procrastination, and, laying herself 
on the earth, receives his dilatory caresses. But should he 
meet a young hen, his strut becomes different, and his move- 
ments are violently rapid ; sometimes rising in air, he takes a 
short circular flight, and on alighting drags his wings for a 
distance of eight or ten paces, running at full speed, occasion- 
ally approaching the timorous hen, and pressing her, until she 
yields to his solicitations. Thus are they mated for the season, 
though the male does not confine himself exclusively to one 
female, nor does he hesitate to bestow his attentions and en- 
dearments on several, whenever an opportunity offers. 
One or more females, thus associated, follow their favourite, 
and roost in his immediate neighbourhood, if not on the same 
tree, until they begin to lay, when they change their mode 
of life, in order to save their eggs, which the male uniformly 
breaks, if in his power, that the female may not be withdrawn^ 
from the gratification of his desires. At this time the females 
shun the males during the greater part of the day ; the latter 
become clumsy and careless, meet each other peacefully, and 
so entirely cease to gobble, that the hens are obliged to court 
their advances, calling loudly and almost continually for them.' 
The female may then be observed caressing the male, and 
imitating his peculiar gestures, in order to excite his amorous- 
ness. 
The cocks, even when on the roost, sometimes strut and 
gobble, but more generally merely elevate the tail, and utter 
the puff^ on which the tail and other feathers suddenly subside. 
On light or moonshining nights, near the termination of the 
breeding season, they repeat this action, at intervals of a few 
