178 
MELEAGRIS GALLOPAVO. 
whence they spread into Germany, Italy, &c. ; a few, 
however, had been carried to the latter country by the 
Spaniards, some years previously. The first turkey 
eaten in France appears to have been served up at the 
wedding banquet of Charles the Ninth, in the year 
1570. Since that period they have been bred with so 
much care, that, in England, as we read in ancient 
chronicles, their rapid increase rendered them attainable 
at country feasts, where they were a much esteemed 
dish as early as 1585. Europeans conveyed them to 
all their colonies, and thus were they gradually intro- 
duced into Asia, Africa, and even Oceanica. 
The French distinguished them by the name of Coq 
et Poule cTInde , (cock and hen from India,) because 
they were natives of the West Indies. Subsequently, for 
the sake of brevity, they called them JDindon , an 
appellation which is yet retained. The English name 
is still worse, as it conveys the false idea that the 
turkey originated in Asia, owing to the ridiculous 
habit, formerly prevalent, of calling every foreign object 
by the name of Turk, Indian, &c. 
Although the turkey is generally considered a stupid 
bird, it is probable that his intellectual qualifications 
have not been fairly appreciated, as he is susceptible of 
very lively emotions. If any new and remarkable 
object attracts the attention of the male, his whole 
appearance and demeanour undergo a sudden and 
extraordinary change : relinquishing his peaceful aspect, 
he boldly raises himself, his head and neck become 
turgid, and the wattles, from an influx of blood, glow 
with vivid red ; he bristles up the feathers of the neck 
and back, his tail is vertically raised and expanded like 
a fan, and the wing-feathers are extended until they 
touch the ground. Thus transformed, he utters a low, 
humming sound, and advances with a grave and haughty 
strut, occasionally accelerating his steps, and, at the 
same time, rubbing the tips of the primary feathers 
violently against the earth. During these manoeuvres, 
he now and then utters a harsh, interrupted, and disso- 
nant note, apparently expressive of the highest degree 
