WILD TURKEY. 95 
the sides of the head, the neck and breast are greyish white. Each 
feather is crossed by numerous fine zig-zag bands of brown. ‘he 
wing coverts are black largely tipped with white. All the upper 
surface, the wings and the upper tail coverts, are brown, very 
minutely freckled with reddish brown ; some of the feathers towards 
the hinder parts of the body are tinged with grey. The tail is grey, 
crossed near the centre by an interrupted band of white, minutely 
freckled with white, margined with brown, and slightly tipped with 
white. he chest is crossed by an irregular band of black, beyond 
which the under surface is white. The neck and breast have a 
freckled appearance. ‘The under tail coverts are greyish black 
tipped with white. The iridesare greenish white; the eyelash is pale 
olive yellow; the bill straw-white, with olive and black eulmen; the 
legs and feet straw-yellow. The male is capable of great distention 
of the neck during the breeding season. This is known among natur- 
alists as ‘* showing off.” One having died in the Zoological Gardens, 
London, in May, 1874, the prosector demonstrated that there was 
neither gular pouch nor sublingual orifice. The male, the weight of 
which is from thirteen to sixteen pounds, considerably exceeds the 
female in size ; the plumes of the neck and the back of the head are 
longer, which give him a more Stately appearance. 
Habits.—1n the populated districts, from the wild or native 
turkey being so much sought after, it has become shy. It has been 
persistently persecuted near the abode of man, because its flesh, as 
an article of food is delicate and well-flavoured and in every respect 
equals that of the species known jin Kurope (Otis tarda). It flies 
heavily with its long neck stretched out to the utmost; but is 
capable of sustaining flight for a considerable distance. It is 
difficult to approach on foot, before it takes wing, which it readily 
does by running quickly a few yards, thereby gaining an impetus 
which enables it to rise. On the plains of the interior, where itis . 
free from the assaults of civilised man, it is much less wary. Sturt 
says—‘‘ This fine and erectly walking bird is common over the whole 
of the interior, migrating from the north in Sept. and Oct. Several 
flocks of these birds were seen by us, migrating southwards, passing 
over our heads at a considerable elevation, as if they intended to 
be long on the wing. I have know this Otis weigh 28lbs. ts flesh 
is dark and varied in shade; the flavour is game and the meat is 
tender.” ‘The natives used formerly to capture wild turkeys in an 
ingenious manner by means of a snare; they approached their 
intended victim against the wind under cover of a large bush grasped 
in the left hand, while in the right hand was held a long slender 
stick, to the end of which was fastened a large fluttering moth, and 
immediately below a running noose; while the bird, unconscious of 
danger, was eyeing and pecking at the moth, the noose was 
dexterously slipped over its head by the cunning black, and the 
astonished bird at once paid the penalty of its curiosity with its life. 
When Hovell and Hume, the explorers, in their journey to Port 
Phillip in 1824, were approaching the bay, not far from the present 
site of Geelong, they noticed several flocks of native turkeys in the 
