TURKEYS. 
291 
while the hens and young males spread out their tails, and 
make the most of their figures. At last, as if by common 
consent, they mount the highest trees, from whence, at a 
particular signal from a leader, away they launch themselves. 
If, as is often the case, the river is wide, these short-winged, 
heavy -bodied travellers perish in great numbers. The strong, 
old, and healthy, generally accomplish their object, while the 
weak and tender, falling short, are hurried down the stream ; 
but they, do not, in this perilous predicament, lose their 
| presence of mind,' — for, spreading out their tails as a sail, 
they close their wings, stretch out their necks, and strike out 
boldly for the shore. 
There can be no doubt that our European stocks of tame 
Turkeys are descendants of these wild Americans ; and yet it 
is remarkable that, train and keep them as long as you please, 
the wild Turkey will still retain its original habits ; and it is 
not improbable that, if left to themselves, the descendants of 
our tame ones would in time resume the wild habits of their 
forefathers, like those which we have above mentioned, 
abounding near the Black Sea. 
We are not, indeed, without instances of wild Turkeys, at 
this day, in our own country, and a curious anecdote has 
reached us of a friendship taking place between a flock of 
these birds and a Partridge. It occurred at Tyninghame, in 
Scotland, where there is a breed of Turkeys which never enter 
into the poultry -house or yard, but roost in the trees, and 
live chiefly on beech-mast, and anything else they can pick 
up, though they are tame enough to come about the house to 
be fed in the time of frost and snow. About eight or ten 
years ago, a cock Partridge, full grown, suddenly joined 
himself to the flock of these Turkeys, and remained with 
them constantly during the whole Summer, Autumn, and 
Winter ; at night he slept under the trees in which they 
roosted ; in the day he fed with them, and was not the least 
frightened or disturbed by people walking among them. He 
took great liberties with the old Turkey-cock ; when he saw 
him going to pick up a worm or any seed, he used to run 
under him between his legs, and snatch it out of his mouth, 
u 2 
1 
