358 
WILD TURKEY. 
nected at base by a membrane, and one behind, touching the 
ground only at tip, being articulated higher on the tarsus than 
the others, and one-half shorter than the lateral toes, which are 
equal ; the middle toe is more than four inches long, and the 
posterior but little more than one inch ; they are all covered 
by entire plates ; the sole is granulated : the colour of the feet 
is red, the margins of the plates and scales, the membrane and 
nails, being blackish ,* the nails are oblong, wide, obtuse at tip, 
rounded above, and perfectly plain beneath. 
The female, or hen turkey, is considerably smaller in size, 
being three feet and a quarter long ; the bill and feet resemble 
those of the male, but are proportionally smaller, the latter 
being destitute of even a rudiment of spur ; the irides are like 
those of the male ; the head and neck are not so naked as in 
that sex, but are covered by small, decomposed feathers, of a 
dirty greyish colour ; those of the back of the neck are tipped 
with ferruginous, constituting a longitudinal vitta on that part ; 
the caruncle on the frontlet is rudimental, not susceptible of 
being elongated ; the pectoral appendage is entirely wanting 
in our specimen ; the general plumage is dusky grey, each 
feather having a metallic band, less brilliant than that of the 
male ; then a blackish band and a greyish terminal fringe ; the 
black subterminal band is obsolete on the feathers of the neck, 
and of the whole inferior surface ; those of the latter part, 
with the feathers of the lower portion of the back, of the rump, 
and the flanks, have their tips yellowish ferruginous, becoming 
gradually brighter towards the tail. The vent and thighs are 
dirty yellowish grey, without any reflections ; the under tail- 
coverts are tipped, and varied with rather deep ferruginous ; 
the superior tail-coverts are like those of the male, but duller, 
and tipped with a broad, whitish ferruginous fringe. The 
wings are also duller, each covert being tipped with greyish ; 
less white exists on the prirparies, the bands being narrower, 
and the secondaries entirely destitute of them. The tail is 
similar in colour to that of the male. It is proper to remark, 
that the female which furnished the above description, and is 
figured in the plate, though certainly adult, had not attained 
