whilst the latter either move about singly, with their young, then nearly
two-thirds grown; or, in company with other females and their families;
form troops,, sometimes .consisting of seventy or eighty individuals, all
of whom are intent on avoiding the- old males* who, whenever opportunity
offrp, attack and destroy the young, by repeated blows on the
skull. All parties, however, travel in the same direction, and on foot,
unless they are compelled to seek their individual safety by flying
from the hunter’s, dog, or their march is? impeded by a large river.
When about to cross a riyer, they select' the highest1 eminences, that
their ffrghtmay be the more certain; and here they»sometimes remain
for a day or piore, as if for the purpose »of consultation;'or. to >be duly
prepared for so hazardous a voyage. During this time the males gobble
obstreperously, and strut with extraordinary importance, as if they
iyould animate their companions, and ihspire.«thei^^ith the utmost
degree of hardihood:; the females and young also assume much ofrthfe
pompous air of males, the former spreading;their tails, and moving
silently around. At length th£ assembled multitude mount to.the
tops of ;the highest trees, whence, at a signal mqte from a leader, th&
whole ^qgetheq wmg,lh®fr* way towards the opposite shojfeh' All-the.
oM.and fat ones cross without difficulty, even when the riverle^ceeds
a mile in width; but the young, meagre,, and weak, frequently fall
short of the desired landing, and are forced to swim for (theirvlives'i
this they do dexterously enough, spreading their tails' for a support;
closing their wings to the body, stretching the heck forwards,’ and
striking out quickly and forcibly with their legs. If, in thus endeavouring
to regain the land, they approach an elevated or inaccessible
bank, their exertions are remitted, they resign' themselves tb- the
strqam,.lfor a short time, in order to gain strength, • and then, with
one violent effort, escape from the water. But in this attempt all are
not successful; some of the weaker, as they cannot risb sufficiently
high in air to. clear the bank, fall again and again into the water,
and thus miserably perish. Immediately after these birds have suci
ceeded in crossing a river, they for..some time ramble about, without
any apparent unanimity of purpose, and a great many are destroyed
by'the’'Hunters,* although they are then least valuable.
dilWheü thé Turkeys have arrived in their land of abundance, they
disperse in small flock^ composed of individuals of all sexes and
ages intermingled, who devour all the mast'as they* advance: this'
occurs! about. the middle' of • ISSoVemBgr. ImbaS been» observed, that,
after these longijoürneysptheiTurkeystbecome’so familiar às töivem
tufe’omthe plantations*,; andfevljh^àppï’.èhch'' so 'near the farm-houses
as to enter the st-abiefe and cornJ*dfebs; in search* Of food : ’iiVthis way
theypass the autumn, and part of the wiitt'er: During this season
great numbels* ^dddlfed* by th fi inhabitants’/ who preSeVveftkem in a
frozen Stâtèi inrorderlto transport Aêîù^o a'distant
Early in March th e b e g in to pair; afo'd> fd^-shórt time previous,
tKdfêîïîaleS separate from, and shun lm if‘mates, though the latter
pertinaciously folîow them]' uttering 'theirigbbbling inétfei'^ The sl&es
robsfeaparty but at n è -g-reatKfrstan'ee; so.’that whemMe female' utters
afdalh|0VtlBy)male within'hearing’re^jb'dnl^rblling-möté.aftér note, in
theunost raptdiShWesSiOû^hot as whenSpireading^emil and strutting
near the hen, < Rut*’in a*ivoiec thëèemBlMg that of -the. Tdnië Turkey;
when he hears any unusual or >frèquently repfeateff tihiM} ‘Wheire the
Ttefeeys#arè,numerous,-the woo^s’Trofiiïônè-'end'to the’othet,-sometimes
for hundreds of|mÉ^fcesound with this remarkable'VOii^bf
their wooin g; > uttef eclli^s|»bitsiv&fyj from *tbtefr“-fobstihg, places. This
& continued for about an hour; 'andpöBli&' rTSingmÖtbe'Sun, thëÿ
silently descend from -their pêröbès^ahd' the mdlbs begin to strut, for
the purpose of winning the admiration of- tk^'ïïÉâiteÉjBBff
If the call »be* given'from the? ground, the males in the vicinity fly
towards the individual, and, Whether fKteÿ*vpèf beiye > her or mot, erect
and spread their tail’s*; throw the head backwards, distend the comb
and wattles, Sttut-pompously, and jjüsâè; their wings and body ffesB-
there,' at the sail® moment ^ejecting* a puff Of- air. from the lungs'.
Whilst thus * Occupied, they occasionally halt to look out for the
female, and then resume their strutting and puffing, moving with as