of Mt. Holyoke range, a few Turkeys persisted till a com¬ 
paratively late date. A quarter century ago, there were 
“men living in the town of Hatfield (just north of Hadley), 
Hampshire County, . . . who, when they were young men 
(not boys) have seen wild Turkeys in the woods of this 
town,” wrote A. C. Sikes in Forest and Stream (1889, vol. 
33, p. 167). This would probably have been in 1840 to 
1850. These outlying birds were gradually thinned out 
until there were none remaining, except on the Mt. Holyoke 
range. They seem to have been exterminated from Berk¬ 
shire County by 1829 at least, and may never have been 
very common in its higher and more hilly regions. The 
following passage from Judd’s History of Hadley, adds 
several interesting items to the history of the bird in the 
immediate region. “Wild Turkeys were abundant in this 
and other colonies. No notice of them is found in the towns 
on Connecticut River previous to 1700. The Pynchons 
(early proprietors and fur traders at Springfield) did not 
buy nor sell them. They naturally frequented the oak, 
chestnut and beech forests more than the pine lands, the 
former furnishing the most food. Wild Turkeys were sold 
in Hartford (Conn.) about 1711, at Is. and Is. 4d. each, and 
in Northampton in 1717 .at Is, 4d. From 1730 to 1735 the 
price of those dressed was, in Northampton, equal to one 
and one-half penny per pound, in lawful money; they 
weighed from 5 to 15 pounds. In 1766, the price was 2 y 2 
pence; in 1788, 3 pence; a few years after 1800, 4 to 6 pence; 
and about 1820, 10 to 12 y 2 cents. 
“In the last century (1701-1800) Turkeys were hunted on 
(Mt.) Holyoke and in other places in the old township of 
Hadley. Deer hunters were also Turkey hunters. Turkeys 
were killed after 1800, but they were not as plenty as on 
the west side of the river. Thaddeus Birge, of Northamp¬ 
ton, supposes that he shot about 100 Turkeys between 1803 
and 1820, and none of them on (Mt.) Tom; and the late 
Oliver Warner killed a large number in those years. Others 
killed many on Tom. Wild Turkeys continued on Tom and 
Holyoke longer than elsewhere. There were a flock on 
i5 
