The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1893-07-01
WILD TURKEYS.
Queer Ways of a Wonderfully
SagaciOus American Bird.

queer ways OF Onueflully |
SagaciOus American Bird.
The wild tarkey hen," says Major
Schoch, editor of New York Uenn)
Gazette" has an altogether hard time of
it while nesting. She constructs her
nest rudely, and quickly, close along
some sheltering log or among the tangled
roots of the laurel or other densely grow
ing bushes The wildcat and the fox
show her no mercy if they scent her to
her nest. The willy snake is ever ready
to glide into her nest. aud despoil it of
her eggs and the vigIlant crow if once
he discovers wterc the turkey has |
hidden her nest, parches himself close by |
aud will pource upon the eggs and carry |
them cfi one by one the moment she |
leaves them uDprotect led. The hen never |
leaves her nest without covering it care |
fully with dried leaves and twigs, so that
the spot resembles exactly the appear
ance of the ground about it, thus guard |
ing against it's chance discovery by an
cuSilJ iCi AoooASO'
She never goes away from nor returns
to her nest twice over the same course
presumably for the reason that she thus
prevents the making of beaten path
that might betray her retreat to some
willy foe. No, intrequsntly number
OF hens viii! build their nest close to one
another, so that none shall ever be left
unguarded, and, il danger comes, that
they may present a united front against
ut.
If the hen aud her eggs escape their
enemies, the brood appears at last.
The chicks totter one by ons ous of the
nest veritable balls of fluffy down. AS
soon as her chicks can run about, which
they do with the witness and silence
of shadows, she leaves them to care for
themselves aud returns demurcly to the
cock who will mosS likely be found still
bordering over her disappearance in the
early spring.
"Old wild turkey cocks do not become
reconciled to new broods until tne latter
have attained full growth and power of
wing. Even then the old ones frequently
air their superiority aud loose no oppor
tunlty to show their hatred for the young
stock by knocking few in the head
now and then With their strong bills and
killing them. The contempt OF the
old cocks ior the young turkeys is
especially MAJ ked in the fall, when the
birds travel from place to place seeking
acorns chestnuts and food of different
| kinds. They Gravel through the woods
| on foot, but if their course is interrupted
| by d river the river must be crossed by
flight. Thewi!d turkey is astrong andswift
| flyer for half or three quarters of mile
and old and powerful members of a flock
| if they are not too fat, can cover mile
with ease. Three quarters of mile is a
| good average flight for these big birds
and a river that is wider than that will
always catch some Ct crossing flock in
| its flood.
| When travelling troop of wild turkeys
comes to a river there is instantly a
| great hustle among them, and the birds
apparently hold a consultation as to the
best manner in which to proceed. The
old cocks strut pomuousIy about &C nfdent
in their capacity to clear the stream and
| gobbling assurances to the hens. The
| young cocks occasionally attempt to strut
and confident gobble, but if they do
some old gobbler will very likely rebuke
their audaoity by knocking them in the
| head. At last the flock will fly into the
highest trees and at given signal by some
old experienced cock the birds launch
| themselves on the uncertain passage.
| Many young turkeys ard some older
| Cnes, ale suro to fall oy the way aud
| struggle in The water to reach the shore.
| The wild turkey can swim and if the
weak winged of the flying flock have
not fallen into the water too far from
shore, ~ usually manage 10 reach
it i'll .fegy but the most of them drown.
| Fishermen III the Juuiata River, angling
for black oiss III the fall always expect
to add a Wild turkey or two to their catch
from the weak winged or too lat mem
bers OF a flock migrating from one shore
to the other.
The wild turkey always rests for a
time on the rIver bank after the flight
before proceeding on the journey. Il is
at this time that many are slaughtered
the tagged out birds falling an easy
prey.
These birds are wonderfully sagacious
and their sIgacity is especially manifest
| in the winter. If the snow is deep they
are forced to dig through il to get to
the ground on which they find the scraps
of food on which they must subsist until
| spring. The turkeys will pass by a
score of trees without digging the snow
away from under them until they come
| to chestnut tree au oak or an elm.
Here they will scratch all of it away
| knowing that there they may find nuts
or acorns or mast. They will dig the
snow away from around wild grape vines
where they will find dried grapes and
| seeds but a vine SO near like grape
| vine that it would puzzle "a woodsman to
| tell the difference aud growing within
| twenty feet of 1t will not tool the will
turkey into wasting time digging away
the snow.