84 
WILD TURKEY. 
and wattles, strut pompously, and rustle their wings and body 
feathers, at the same moment ejecting a puff of air from the lungs. 
Whilst thus occupied, they occasionally halt to look out for the 
female, and then resume their strutting and puffing, moving with 
as much rapidity as the nature of their gait will admit. During 
this ceremonious approach the males often encounter each other, 
and desperate battles ensue, when the conflict is only terminated 
by the flight or death of the vanquished. 
This pugnacious disposition is not to be regarded as accidental, 
but as resulting from a wise and excellent law of nature, who 
always studies the good of the species without regard to the indi¬ 
viduals. Did not females prefer the most perfect of their species, 
and were not the favours of beauty most willingly dispensed to the 
victorious, feebleness and degeneracy would soon mark the animal 
creation: but, in consequence of this general rule, the various races 
of animals are 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 sud¬ 
denly opening her wings, throws herself towards him, as if to ter¬ 
minate 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 movements are violently rapid; some¬ 
times 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, occasionally 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 endear¬ 
ments on several, whenever an opportunity offers. 
One or more females, thus associated, follow their favourite, and 
