444 BIRDS—MELEAGRIDA. 
MELEAGRIS GALLOPAVO L. 
var. AMERICANA (Bartr.) Coues. 
Common Wild Turkey. 
Meleagris gallopavo, BONAPARTE, Am. Orn., i, 1825, 80—KIRTLAND, Prelim. Rep. Ohio 
Geolog. Surv., 1838, 67; Ohio Geolog. Surv., 1838, 164.—NUTTALL, Man. 2d edition, i, 
1840, 773.—AUDUBON, B. Am., v, 1842, 42.—Reapb, Proc. Phila. Acad. Nat. Sci., vi, 
1853, 395.-WHEATON, Ohio Agric. Rep. for 1860, 1861, 367; Reprint, 9.—LANGDON, 
Summer Birds, Journ. Cin. Soc. Nat. Hist., iii, 1880, 226; Field Notes, ib., 1880, 126. 
Meleagris gallipavo, var. americana, WHEATON, Food of Birds, Ohio Agric. Rep. for 1874, 
1875, 571; Reprint, 11. 
Meleagris gallopavo, var. americana, LANGDON, Cat. Birds of Cin., 1877, 13. 
Meleagris gallopavo, var. gallopavo, LANGDON, Revised List, Journ. Cin. Soc. Nat. Hist., i, 
1879, 181; Reprint, 15. 
Wild Turkey, KirTLAND, Fam. Visitor, i, 1850, 1. 
Meleagris gallopavo, LINNZUS, Fn. Suec., No. 198. 
Meleagris americana, BARTRAM, Trav., 1791, 290. 
Meleagris gallopavo, var. americana, COUES, Key, 1072, 222. 
Meleagris gallopavo, var. gallopavo, BAIRD, BREWER and RiDGWway, iii, 1874, 404. 
Naked skin of head and neck livid-blue; general color copper-bronze with copper and 
green reflection, each feather with a narrow black border; all the quills brown closely 
barred with white; tail chestnut barred with black and a broad subterminal black 
bar. Tip of tail feathers and upper tail coverts lighter chestnut. Length, 3-4 feet. 
Habitat, of var. americana, the Eastern Province of the United States and portions of 
Canada, Of true gallopavo, the southern portions of the Middle Province and south- 
wards. 
Fomerly abundant and resident, breeding throughout the State. Now 
exterminated in the more thickly settled portions, but still common in 
some northwestern counties. Breeds. Dr. Kirtland (1850) speaks of the 
time when Wild Turkeys were more common than tame ones are now. 
Mr. Read said, in 1858, that it was stillcommon. Thirty years since it 
was quite common in Middle Ohio, but rapidly decreased in numbers, 
until it has been extremely rare in this county during the last ten years. 
The few which remain exhibit great intuitive or acquired cunning in 
avoiding detection. As if aware that their safety depended on their pre- 
serving an incognito when observed, they effect the unconcern of their 
tame relatives so long as a threatened danger is passive or unavoidable. 
I have known them to remain quietly perched upon a fence while a team 
passed by ; and one occasion knew a couple of hunters to be so confused 
by the actions of a flock of five, which deliberately walked in front of 
them, mounted a fence and disappeared leasurely over a low hill before 
they were able to decide them to be wild. No sooner were they cut of 
sight than they took to their legs and then to their wings, soon placing 
