The male Wild Turkey', xjdien • full; grown, is nearly four feet1 in
lengths and more than five in extent. The bill is short ' and robust)
measuring two- inches 'and a half rto^tfe'corner oftrthe mouth* <it is
reddish, and horn colour, at tip; the superior mandible is vaulted,
declining.at tip, and overhangs the inferiors being longer and wider;
it is covered a t. base by a naked cere-like membrane, in;which!-the
nostrils are situated,. they being -half closed bv: a turgid membrane,
and opening downwards $ the . inferior .mandible slightly.'&seends
towards the tipe th e . aperture of- the ear is delended 'by arfasiaele
O f small,- decomposed feathers; the-tongue is fleshy, and entire;>*the
irides are dark brown. The head, which iswery small in proportion
to; the body, and half of thev neck, are dovereffby a /naked^bluish
skin, on which are a number of red wart-like elevations. onothe
superior portion, and whitish ones on therinfeiior, interspersediwith
a few scattered-,-J>lm^k,f bristly hairs, and small feathers> .which- are
still .less numerous om-the neck; the naked skin extends farther
downwards. on the inferior surface; of the neck,, -whererit is -flaccid
and membranous, forming an undulating appendage, on the. loisyer
part of which are cavernous elevations or wattles^ A.wrinkled, fleshy,
conic,-extensible caruncle,- hairy and penicellated- at- tip, arisen.from
the bill at. its. junction with the forehead; when the bird is^uiescent,
this process is hotmfleh more, than an f^ lrran d a half Jong;;,{>but
when he is excited by love or ragey.it becomes velongatedyrsff as
to cover, the bill entirely, and depend two or three inches-below -it.
The neck as of a moderate length and thickness, bearing on its
inferior portion a pendent fascicle of black, - rigid- hairs, about nine
inches long. The body is thick, somewhat elongated,- and hovered
with long, truncated feathers; these are divided into very light fuliginous
down at base, beyond which they; are dusky; to this dusky
portion succeeds a broad, effulgent, metallic band, changing now to
copper colour or bronze-gold, then to violetjor purple,' according; to
the incidence of light, and at tip is a terminal, narrow, velvebblack
band, which does not exist >in the feathers of the neck and breast;
the lower portion of the back, and the upper part of the rump, are
much .darker, with less brilliant golden-violaceous reflections; the
feathers of-»the inferior pant of the rump have several concealed,
narrow,- %m;<tgifl@us,3jfransjV,ers.e dines,;then a black band before the
broad metalli.cispacey.Which is effulgent coppery;(beyond the terminal
narrow black] bandy» an .unpolished' bright bay fringe. The upper
taikeoverstsy^pof a bright bay^ppffr, with numerous narrow bars
®f#shining# greenish; - a ll. these ||||g ^ |ia r e - .destitute*, of the m e t a l l i c
band, and the greater,-numher*<have not ■ the ilffa^Itsuhterminal one;
thpi-VSifeand..thighs are plain brownishemeueous-, intermixed frith
paler; the under tail^coyefets,^rdyblackish, glossed-with coppery
fo,wards-thedap, and. afc tip are.hrirotot
.The :wings‘.aru c|m:&avejtaffd5-r^ffnd^d'nbpd]y surpassing the origin
of the tajf; have5-twiu%-!e%hfequill feathersymf which the first
is shortest, and&tbBufourths a n d - t h e ^ a e o m u b and' ninth
b^mg4 nearly eqnal; smallen'j and middling wing*-1 coverts are
coloured;. like the ffdatherS of.-the body; the igtgeafe^Bi'eoverts are
copper-viola’peous&ehavmg, a- black hand jniaasytthe^whitish tip; their
. eqncealbd'w.eb is,blackish,^sphankiled with dull ferruginous -: in old birds
Iffe. exterior web is much worn by frfeti%ia&amongst- the bushes, in
Consequence o f which those-feather smMhit a ^^sitngularsunwdlbed,
curved appearance, faithfully] represented* in'tbefcplate.; Th'eispurious
wing, the primary&6dyfytsy»iand ttym,primaries, are plain-blackish
handed with whitfe, which isbiMerrupted<d>y.the shaft, and sprinkled
withhlackish; the.,seoondaries hagjke the wbitefcportion'so large, that
they may as^ ^ Hdbj^descrihdd as(^^iteyiibanded w i t h and
are moreover tinged with. ferruginote^yeRow-;-thas^molouB*gradually
encroaches1' on the white, and then blackish^ insproportion >as
the feathers a ^ ^ h ! the bodyfe^hamthe- tertials, aisfe almost m ?
tirely of that- eblouryff^eing. only sprinkled witbteblackish, and having
metallic,reflefeta^ji^-®hthe1 inner web; ttheiam^foraunder wing coverts
are;.br,0wnish-black/4;heip©sterioteones being -grayu-Thetail measures
miore than a foot and "a quarter-, is rounded, and composed>of 'eighteen