. Reptiles and birds : a popular account of the various orders; with a description of the habits and economy of the most interesting . ers leave their eggs to seek food they are always careful to cover them with leaves, the better to screen them from the sight of the Fox, Lynx, or Crow, The incubation lasts about thirty days. As the time for hatching approaches, no power can make the mother leave her nest, no peril will cause her to desert her charge. On being hatched, the young Turkeys, under the protecting care of the old bird, are led to sequestered feeding grounds, and do not leave her til
. Reptiles and birds : a popular account of the various orders; with a description of the habits and economy of the most interesting . ers leave their eggs to seek food they are always careful to cover them with leaves, the better to screen them from the sight of the Fox, Lynx, or Crow, The incubation lasts about thirty days. As the time for hatching approaches, no power can make the mother leave her nest, no peril will cause her to desert her charge. On being hatched, the young Turkeys, under the protecting care of the old bird, are led to sequestered feeding grounds, and do not leave her till the end of several months. Wild Turkeys have many formidable enemies, the most destructive being Man, next the Lynx and the Eagle Owl; they are, therefore, very distrustful, and when on the ground secrete WILD TUEKEY. 439 themselves at the least appearance of danger; but if perched upona tree they are less guarded, and consequently can be more easilyapproached by the sportsman. On a misty, moonlight nightAmerican hunters take their posts under trees where Turkeys com-monly perch. In this situation the game will receive several. Fig. 17.—Wild Tm-key. discharges V\athout making the slightest attempt to escape, althoughnumbers of them in succession may have been killed. It is diffi-cult to explain this apparent apathy, especially when we know theirhurry to fly before the Owl. It is doubtless owing to the want ofsagacity which they manifest imder these circumstances, as well asto their ludicrous aspect and eccentric attitudes, that Turkeys have UO GALLINACEOUS BIRDS. gained the reputation of stupidity. This bird, however, sometimesgives proofs of intelligence, as the following fact, related by Audu-bon, shows. He had raised a Wild Turkey from its most tenderage, which had become extremely tame, but the love of indepen-dence remained very strong in the bird, for it could not accustomitself to the pent-up life of its domestic relations. Thus it enjoyedthe greatest freedom; it wen
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecad, booksubjectbirds, booksubjectreptiles
