AMERICAN T.
Description*
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G enus XLVIII. T U R K E Y .
N* i. American T . N° .3. Guan T.
Var. A. Domeftic T . 4. Yacou T .
2. Horned T . 5. Marail T . - .
T H E bill in this genus is convex, fhort, and llrong.
Noftrils open, pointed at one end, lodged in a membrane.
Head and neck, or throat (fometimes all three), covered with
naked carunculated flelh j the Ikin of the laft flaccid, and membranaceous.
Tail broad, extenfible.
Meleagris Gallopavo, Lin. Syfi, i. p. 268. 1.— Faun. Sun. N3 198.
Le Dindon fauvage, Brif. cm. i. p. 162. B.
New England Wild Turkey, Rati Syn. p. 51. 3.— Phil.Tranf. vol. lxxii. p. 67.
Lev. Mu/.
' 1 ' H E Turkey, in its domefticated Hate, feldom exceeds three
feet and a half in length ; but in that of nature is con fider ably
■ larger, and greatly inclines to black, which in feme lights appears
of the mod refplendent gilded copper-colour, in others, of a
.glofiy green, and in fome parts inclining to purple : greater
wing coverts glofiy brown : quills green gold, growing black
towards the end, and white at the tips: the tail confifts of
eighteen brown feathers mottled with black; the ends black;
its
T U R K E Y . 6jy
its coverts waved black and white : on the bread: a tuft of black
hairs full eight inches in length. In other things refembling
Turkeys in common ; fuch as having a bare, red, carunculated
head and neck; a fleihy dilatable appendage hanging over the
bill ] and a fhort, flout, blunt fpur, or rather knob, at the back
part of the leg. jg
The female wants the tuft of hairs on the breafl for the moft E e h a s b .
part, though it is now and then feen in an old hen, but fcarce
above half the length or fulnefs as in the male. The legs of the
female alfo want the fpur.
A bird, anfwering the above defcription, is in the Leverian
Mufeum, which is faid to have come from Georgia.
It is without a doubt that Turkies originally came from Ame- Place a n »
rica *, and are found to be largefi: in the northern parts of that nneas.
continent •f", where they are frequently met with by hundreds in a
flock : in the day-time frequent the woods, where they feed
on acorns, and return at night to the fwamps to roofl, which they
do on the trees. They are frequently taken by means of dogs,
though they run fafler for a time; but the dogs perfifling in the
purfuit, the birds foon grow fatigued, and take to the higheft
trees, where they will fuffer themfelves to be fhot one after another,
if within reach of the markfman.
* Fermin obferves, that they weigh tiventy-five pounds at Surinam. Catejby
{peaks of thirty pounds and upwards in Carolina ; though others mention forty
or more. In this climate we have not met with one of a greater weight than
tvienty-fve, and even that uncommon.
f Phil.. Tranf.—Introduced, as is fuppofed, into England about the year
1524. It is certain that the name does not occur in the lift of Archbijhep NeviPs
Eeaft, nor is it mentioned in the Earl of Northumberland's Houfehold Bock, fo late
as theyear 1512. '
3 The