The TUFT-BEAKED PINTADO (_Numida ptilorhyncha_), a very similar species,
has the stiff feathers that encircle the throat of a velvety black,
whilst those of the body are dark brownish grey, dotted with white.
These markings become more perceptible on the upper wing-covers, and
take an oval form on the outer web of the shoulder-feathers; the under
side has a blueish grey lustre; the breast, sides, and lower tail-covers
are decorated with large round spots. The brownish grey quills are more
or less distinctly margined with light grey or whitish edges; the lower
secondaries have a light blueish grey border, tinted with two shades of
brownish grey, and, like the tail-feathers, are very distinctly spotted.
The eye is brown and the cheek light blue, as are the large broad lappets;
the throat is flesh-red, the bare crown of the head greyish yellow, and
the tuft of bristle-like hairs at the base of the upper mandible, from
which these birds derive their name, light yellow; the bill is reddish at
its base and grey at its tip; the foot dark greyish brown.
This species is a native of Abyssinia and Nubia, where it frequents
valleys bordered with thickets, and renders itself remarkable by its
extremely harsh voice. It seldom flies, and then only for a short distance
to escape from danger. The flesh is exceedingly savoury.
* * * * *
The TURKEYS (_Meleagrides_) are large but comparatively slender birds,
with long legs and short wings and tail; the moderate-sized head and neck
are unfeathered and covered with warts; the short, strong beak, from which
depends a fleshy wattle, has the upper mandible curved and vaulted. The
high foot is furnished with long toes, the rounded wing has its third
quill longer than the rest; and the tail, composed of eighteen broad,
upright feathers, is also slightly rounded at its extremity. The thick
heavy plumage is unusually glossy. One remarkable characteristic of these
birds is the bristle-like structure of some of the breast-feathers, some
of which are much longer than those of the rest of the body. The members
of this group inhabit the forests, prairies, and open tracts of North
America; the males wandering about the country in small parties of from
ten to one hundred, and seeking their food apart from the females, who are
occupied in feeding their young. Turkeys are found in a wild state from
Canada to Panama, and so far from being improved by the care of man, have
remarkably degenerated in a state of domesticity. When wild they often
weigh from twenty to sixty pounds, and when standing upright, measure at
least three feet in height. Formerly these birds were common in Canada and
the central parts of the United States, but they have gradually fallen
back before the advance of civilisation, although they only seem to yield
their country inch by inch to the husbandman.