Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1882-06-01

MI M Murphy. of New York. con-
tributes 10 the American Agrlc'titurist.
an exceedingly interesting Illustrated ar
ticle on the Wild Turkey. from which
We extract the following:
The males commence wnoing as early
as February in some ~ the extreme
Southern States: hut March il thu. open
ing OF the bve seasum throughout the
country. and April the month IN which
it reaches its hIghes sdevelopement. males
may then be heard calingio the females
from every direction. until the woId=
ring with their lotId and liqnid cries.
commenced long before sunrise. and con
tinued for hours with the srraliest per-
sistency. As both sexes rs,st apart at
this perih. the hei,s avoid answpring. the
gobblers for some tame. but they hnallv
become less ohdurate. and ceyly return
the call. When th.. mates hear this. all
within hearing respond promptly and
vehemently. uTteruig notes slmIlar t,l
those hich the domestic .gohblers do
when they hear an nuusal sunnd. Ifth.
female answering the cali is on the
ground. the males flv 10 her and before
her with all the P'Mnpus srrutIing thar
charactsriZes the family. They spread
and erect their tails. itprvss their wings
with quisering motion aud trail them
along the ground. ana draw the head
back on the shoulders as il Ia increase
their dignity and Importance; then wheel
and march, and swell. and gobble. as ii
trying to outdo each other in airs and
graces. The female, however, pays little
attention to these cerenonious paradss.
demurely looks ON while the rivals for
her affection try to outdo one another in
playing the gallant and dandy. When
the strutting and gobbling faIl to win her.
the candidates for matrinr,ny challenge
each other TO mortal con,lat. and which
ever is successful in the contest walks
away with her iu the most nonchalent
manner. The easy indifference of tine
hen as to which she will follow may not
be pleasing to persons imbued with ro-
mantle feelings, yet she is only oheying
wise law Of nature, which DEGREES that
only the fittest should live, and in the
lower animal world these are necessarily
chosen for their pin ysicai qualities.
The battles between the males are often
waged with such desperate vaior thai
more than one combatant il sent to join
the great majority, as they deliver very
heavy blows at each others heads, and
do not give up the contest until they are
dead, or 80 thoroughly exhausted as to
be scarcely able to move
When one has killed another. it is said
to caress the dead bird in an apparently
afectionate manner. as if it We're very
sorry to have been compelled to do such
deed, but could not help it, owing to
the force OF circumstances; vet have
seen the winner in tournament i'll such
rage that it not only killed its rival. but
pecked out its eyes after it was dead.
When the victors have won their brides,
they keep together until they commence
laying and then seperate, for the males
are SO Jealous that they would DESTROY
the eggs II they could, in order to pro-
long the love period, and tine hens, know
ing this, carefully screen them. The
males are often followed by more than
one hen. but they are MT SO polyga-
nous as their domestic congeners, as I
never heard of a gobbier having more
than two or three females under his pro-
lection. The adult gobblefs drie the
males away during erotic season, and
will not even permit them to gobbe if
they can, so that the latter are obliged to
keep by themselves. generally in parties
of from six to ten, unless some of the vet
eraps are killed, and then they occupy
the vacated places of the brIdegrooms.
according to the order of their prowess.
When the love season is over the males
keep by themselves until they recover
their strength, and reunite in small bach
elOr parties at