It has been observed that when the Turkey makes its appearance on table
all conversation should for the moment be suspended. That it is eaten in
silence on some occasions may be inferred from the following anecdote:
A certain judge of Avignon, famous for his love of the glorious bird,
which the American people have wisely selected for the celebration of
Thanksgiving Day, said to a friend: "We have just been dining on a
superb Turkey. It was excellent. Stuffed with truffles to the very
throat--tender, delicate, filled with perfume! We left nothing but the
bones!" "How many were there of you?" asked his friend. "Two," replied
the judge, "the Turkey--and myself!" The reason, no doubt, why this
brilliant bird, which so much resembles the domestic Turkey, is now
almost extinct. It was formerly a resident of New England, and is still
found to some extent as far north-west as the Missouri River and
south-west as Texas. In Ohio it was formerly an abundant resident. Dr.
Kirtland (1850) mentions the time when Wild Turkeys were more common
than tame ones are now.
The nests of this bird are very difficult to discover, as they are made
on the ground, midst tall, thick weeds or tangled briars. The female
will not leave the nest until almost trodden upon. It is stated that
when the eggs are once touched, she will abandon her nest.
The Turkey became known to Europeans almost immediately upon the
discovery of America by the Spaniards in 1518, and it is probable that
it is distinctively an American bird. In its wild state, its plumage, as
in the case of the Honduras Turkey, grows more lustrous and magnificent
as the family extends southward.
The "Gobblers," as the males are called, associate in parties of ten to
one hundred, seeking their food apart from the females, which wander
singly with their young or in troops with other hens and their families,
sometimes to the number of seventy or eighty. They travel on foot,
unless disturbed by the hunter or a river compels them to take wing. It
is said that when about to cross a river, they select a high eminence
from which to start, that their flight may be more sure, and in such a
position they sometimes remain for a day or more, as if in consultation.
On such occasions the males gobble vociferously, strutting about
pompously as if to animate their companions. At the signal note of
their leader, they wing their way to the opposite shore.
The Wild Turkey feeds on many kinds of berries, fruits, and grasses.
Beetles, tadpoles, young frogs, and lizards are sometimes found in its
crop. When the Turkeys reach their destination, they disperse in flocks,
devouring the mast as they proceed.
Pairing time begins in March. The sexes roost apart, but at no great
distance, so that when the female utters a call, every male within
hearing responds, rolling note after note in rapid succession, in a
voice resembling that of the tame Turkey when he hears any unusual
noise. Where the Turkeys are numerous, the woods from one end to the
other, sometimes for many miles, resound with these voices of wooing.
The specimen of the Wild Turkey presented in this number of BIRDS is of
extraordinary size and beauty, and has been much admired. The day is not
far distant when a living specimen of this noble bird will be sought for
in vain in the United States.