The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1883-12-05
! he Turkey and Bis yyondrous ways.
youths Companion.

A truly superb and interesting creature is
the turkey, whether we view him with the
eyes OF the naturalist the gOurmand, the
artist or the small bow who meets him alone
in O narrow path. 1t is brave small boy
who dares face the irate majesty Of a full.
grown gobbler.
/ say he is superb Observe him as he
swells and struts, the crowned king of the
barnyard, showing the subdued magniicence
of his plumage to the October sum- Contem-
plate him as at the present festive season he
heads the array of his vassals upon the Field
of the Cloth of snow-the Thanksgiving table
He is beyond dispute the monarch, the
great King Hal of the FEAST the ne plus ultra
OF all human food.
He regales every one of our senses sight,
touch, taste, smell, and even hearing. for
soft music whispers to US from the fire to the
festive board.
Why was not he, instead of the cruel,
carrion-eating eagle, chosen for the emblem
sents US worthily. Is he not big? Is he not
valiant? Is he not adroit, invincible, in de-
fensive war. yet averse to aggression?
In peculiar sense, as all who know him
testify. be is the bird OF freedom. He must
wonder free all day over hill and dale, in
forest and in field, or he pines and dwindles.
Give him liberty or you give him death.
Good farmers are generous to him. and give
him both.
Whether we accept him or not as the
rational emblem, we cannot resist his claim
to the title of Native American. Sebastian
Cabot scovered the creature here about
three hundred and eighty years ago, and his
mate, or lieutenant, William Strickland
(salutatiCn to his memory y took the trouble
10 convey to Europe the first turkey the old
world ever saw.
Just as the wild turkey, a shy, unobtrusive
bird was about to disappear forever from the
world, he found poet and historian worthy
of him in John Adams Audubon, who spent
most of his life near its favorite haunts.
No portion of Audubon's work upon the
birds of America is written with more
warmth of appreciation and greater fulness
of knowledge than the opening piece of his
first edition-upon the turkey.
The valley of the Mississippi, from the
Allegheny to the Rocky Mountains, in which
Audubon lived and rambled so long, was the
favorite range Of the turkey, because in that
fertile region the food abounded which is
most suitable to 1.-THE beechnut, chestnut,
acorn and numberless other products of the
forest prlmeval.n The birds particularly
abounded in Kentucky, Lower Indiana,
Western Tennessee, Mississippi and Upper
Louisiana.
Torpid and halfstarved during the sum-
mer heats, as soon as October began to scat
ter its seeds and fruits they would migrate
toward the center of the valley, the males in
bands from ten to hundred IN number and
the females by themselves, each with its
own brood OF young, then about half grown.
a dozen hen turkeys with their families
would sometimes move on together. a cluck-
ing, anxious sisterhOOd, to resist the inter
ference of the eOck-turkeys, who at this
period were violently jealous of their own
offspring. and desired, like some other biped
husbands, to monOpolize the affection of
thesr wives.
These companies used to move on day af-
ter day in quest of food, pausing where it
was abundant and hurrying over regions
where it was scarce. In the course of their
migration, they frequently reached the bank
of a wide river, perhaps swollen by the aut-
umn rains
The heroic Audubon observed their con-
duct at such times with surprise and admit
ration. The whole band would get upon a
high hill, overlooking the wide expanse of
water, and remain there many hours, some
times for two whole days, as if to get up their
courage and talk over the best way of cross
ing the stream.
The old cock-turkeys would strut about
with ludicrous pomposity, uttering their
well-known gobble. gobble. gobble, stimu-
lating their own valor, and inspiring the
whole congregation with their requisite con-
fidenee The hens and their families imi-
tated as well as they could the lords of the
flock, spreading out their imperfectly devel-
oped tails. running round each other, utter
ing sound like cats purr and occasion
ally leaping INTO the air.
in sight, the whole company would fly into
the air and roost in the tops of the highest
trees, where they would remain in silence
awaiting the signal from the leader. That
signal was single cluck; upon hearing
which the whole flock would take fight for
the other side.
The mature birds, even the oldest and fat
test, would get over easily enough even
though the river were mile wide. The
younger birds occasionally fell into the
water But the wild turkey is good swim
meT. Folding their wings close TO their sides,
they stretch forward their necks, and strike
out vigorously with their feet
On reaching the shore they showed much
good sense, for if the bank was too steep for
them, they would float down the stream till
they came to feasible landing place, where
they would flop and founder ashore with
violent exertion.
Toward Thanksgiving, these fortunate tur
keys, the progenitors of the hapless birds
doomed to die for US at the festive season, had
recovered from the summer leanness, and en-
joyed life to the uttermost. In truth they
had bountiful Thanksgiving dinner every
day in the glorious and fruitful woods of
Kentucky and the adjacent Territories At
Christmas they were IN plump perfection.
As the winter advanced the turkeys be-
came so gentle as frequently to mingle with
the poultry of the settlers's own barnyards,
and remain about the farms for several days
at time, sharing the grain of the domesti-
Gated fowls.
No creature was more faithful to her young
than the turkey hen, or more adroit in con.
cealing them from their enemies. Even
while laying her eggs, she seldom took the
same course to her nest twice, and she COW
cred them so skillfully with leaves that Au-
dubon found it difficult to find nest even
after he had seen the bird approach and
leave II.
nest containing from fifteen to twenty
large turkey eggs was so inviting prey to
the lynx, the fox. the skunk, the crow, the
owl, all Of which are creatures noted for
their cunning that only the most watchful
vigilance on the part of the mother turkeys
saved the race from extinction. While the
hen was sitting ON her nest IL a fox or lynx