of authors, who have mistaken the Curassow for it. In Canada, and
the now densely peopled parts $>$ the' United States, Wild Turkeys
were formerly very abundant; but, like the Indian and Buffalo, they
have been compelled tc ^ ^H f to thé destructive ingenuity of the
white settlers, often wantonly exercised^ and seek refuge in" the remotest
parts of the interiorsl^Arthough they relinquish tÈiéir native
soil with slow and reluctant steps, yet such is the rapidity with which
sètïJémehts are extended’ and condensed over thé surface oFthis
country, that we may anticipate ‘a day, at no distant period,- when
\the hfiiSfti' will seek the Wild Turkey in vain.
Wé hh-éè m^lepcd no means of obtaining information from vari#
«ous parts of the to this interesting TMrd; and-hawing
been assiMed^ydhe zeal and politeness of sWëf&l individuals, .Who,
in different degrees, have Cbntributed to-But stock of JenBwletfgfe on
Jlhs^'siibjécti wc rëtum them our j|&st thanks. We have particular
Satisfaction in acknowledging the kindness of Mr. J ohn J ^ udubon,
from whom, we, have received a copious nairathc, 'containing a-eon*
siderable portion of the valuable notes collected by him, 5©;b this
bird, during twenty years that he has been* engaged in studying
OrtMilÉÉi|§^ in the only book-fifeé from errof and ^^^adictiofr,
the great book o f mEfttrë. His observations, principally made in
Kentucky and Louisiana, proved the mbre^heresting, as we had
received no information from those states :C We have; in consequence*
been enabled to enrich the present article with several , hew details
of the manners and habits of the Wild Turkey.
The WOodfed parts of Arkansaw, Louisiana, Tennessee, and Alabama;
the unsettled portions of the states of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana,
and Illinois; Ifee vast expanse of territory north-west of these
states, on the Mississippi and Missouri, as far as the forests extend,
are more abundantly supplied, than any other parts of the union, with
this valuable game, which forms an important part of the subsisténoe -
of the hunter and traveller in the wilderness. It is not probable that
the range of this bird extends to> or beyond, the Rocky Mountains;
tl&Mandan>kHi|dflan^^aho^aAfew^yeara^agft.visit.ed..the. city of Wash-
^M^n^ c4pffdteredjt the^ Turkey* Bh'e ,of the greatest* curiosities they
had sftp/rw aurtynnOmarfifL al.skiifip^Bn^i-tecarTOhome for exhibition.
. The Wild TuTkS r&ildtefeiha plenty in Florida, Georgia, and th^
Uarolinas; is still 1$3§ frequently fqjtpd* in thevwestern parts of Yit*s
ginia and,Eennsylyama; - extremely raa;.c,< ifi indeed i% exists at
all, imtiferemaining- northern arid eastern parts of th$/I%ttted;Statesg
in^lNTfigw-Englandjj. it; egen, appear s^tottm a ^ heem already^ destroyed!
one humlrcd and lift} yi dgs bat b., howeur. cKgjlib,Ki*infoianed|
that Wild^iTurkeys, a s | ^ ^ ^ ^ c vf0und^ iniybhe mountainous, districts
ofe Sussex-5 com^^^q^^ersey.-j,,. 1 he infost eastern^ part of PennsyM:
vania now Jnhabited, hyuhem,, < qppqar s^tgi^^lignc^terj c^Wtes, and
th^aKefe^ftei^iObserved in the. PhiTipshnro- Clearfieldi,
countyi;, Those,.on4a|^ b f tf e ;.br.ou!ghtrto- the Philadelphia and
, Nhw-York. markets, arq chiefly iqMaiUed^/mfeP'knTikvlvani a and iJeW“1
, „TheviWild Turkey^, do .not confine. themseHyi^to),any particular
food ;..they eat,madze^^l^q^is^ofiberries,.fruits,^grassefe^beetles; and
msfen.tadpoles, yaungr^gSi-and1 lizards^aicc^c^csionally found in their
Crops; but where thei pecan*-mitki^ | fll;htiW^1lhem.-prefer,i that fruit to
any other, nourishment:, theirr; more general. predilection, i^, however,
for,the acorn, on which.,they.rapidlyfattepj^yWhen an,unusually
profuseurop of aeorn%is ggbdtiieed in,. a^particular^C^pniof country,
great numbers qfr Turkeys. are^^ticed from their. ordinary hauato
in the,.surrounding districts. About the.beginnings!!October, while
the, mast stiilj|', remains on, thg, tijqes^, they; assembfr. in. flocks, and
direct-; thejik course to the, ric^bottohi. lands, |hi§,, season, th©$
are observed,, in great, numbegs,. on. theiQhio and Mississippi. The
time of this, irraption.i%known, to i^ e , In d ian s,^ -.the* name of the
Turkey months gg
, The males, usually termed gobblers, .associate, imparties numbering,
from ten^to, a hundred, and seek their, food apart from the females;
.1,.—x