The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-05-04
WAYS OF WILD AND TAME TUR-
KEYS.

| WAYS OF WILD AND TAME TUR-
KEYS.
There was here in the Georgia pine
woods last year a turkey hen which her
mistress and owner thought a wonder
full bird. She was young; the last was
her first spring. She laid fifteen eggs,
Matched every one Of them, and, to the
establishment Of all the neighbors,
| raised every little chick of them up to
the age of seven weeks, when thieving
darby boy killed one of them. There are
many wild turkeys on Roseland planta-
ton, where this good mother tried to
raise her large young brood, and often
did they try to lure her off the clearing
by most vigorous and enhancing
'gobble- gobbe.' Several times she ac-
tually joined them, and strayed one or
two miles away with them into the pine
forests.
Once it happened, while they were
thus wandering from their old home
place, having joined some wild turkeys,
that some old darkeys, whose settlement
they ran into shouldered their guns,
thinking they might bring home one or
two Of those fine fellows for special
family Sunday dinner. But as soon as
they came near enough to be noticed,
the wild turkeys ran like deer, while the
tame ones skedaddled home, scolding the
negroes vigorously for so disturbing the
budding friendship between them and
their distant cousins. Then they quietly
grazed on till they reached home, where
they We're received with acclamations Of
joy by Uncle Isaac, the old darby care
taker. Once, on another of their esca-
pades, this old darby was trying to
drive at a distance a bunch of wild tur-
keys thinking they were his own lost
flock. AS soon as they few up in tree
he knew he was on the wrong track.
But al ia the fight!
Among this brood there were six COB
bers. When they were about seven or
eight months old they began to be trou
blesome. They wanted to fight Their
owner had after an absence of six
months, come back again to them, and,
much interested, wasw atching their
ways and manners. Hearing a certain
noise, she suspected evil, and looking
under one of the sheds she saw three
gobblers hitting each other with their
wings as hard as they could, getting not
red that seems to come at the first
stage of anger, but blue, very blue.
They We're hastily scattered. but on fol-
lowing them around--lo and behold
there were the hens also fighting. The
old mother had tightly knit her long
neck around one Of the young hens, one
that had been sick, and had only three
feathers in her tail
AS animals seem to kill their sick |
young in many cases, l feel sure this
knew that the young one
was not right in every particular, and |
therefore must be done away with. |
separated them at least five times, and |
the old hen flew at the |
young one again, twisting her neck |
round hers, till ! drove them off rapidly |
in different directions, After a few
hours they met again and engaged in |
deadly fight, when the old hen bent |
back the young ones neck almost to !
breaking, by grasping her adversary's |
bill with her own and pushing her over |
backward. I thought there was some
likelihood of death there, so l shut the |
mother up for the day. Next day, being |
liberated, she engaged in pretty fight |
with one of her sons, pushing him over
first on the right side, then on the left.
FOR about an hour He was, / thought,
very patient. although he got redder
and redder, and then blue. At last he
grew tired of it and pitched into her
With his wings, till I shut them both up
md gave them away to different distant
families where I hope they are now
both repenting at leisure.
Not long ago the following happened
lere at Roseland. My flock of tame
turkeys seemed to be very large one
lay, and looking closer, I thought their
lecks and heads seemed very blue.
Wishing to find out about it, L went
learer shooting and throwing small
ticks. They looked up, but went on
rrazing | began to think now that they
we're not my flock at all, but somebody
lse's. When / came to within ten feet
# them clapped my hands vigorously,
nd up flew three very large gobblers,
While mine set up tremendous gobble-
obble- gobble. Next morning they came
gain and our darby servant shot one
f them. After a few days the second
ne met the same fate. The third one
anne once or twice more and was not
cen again.
No doubt there is more or less mixing
f wild and tame turkeys here on the
orderland of natural and artificial COM
itions. Do any Of your readers know
he effect of such crossing? I should
link It might impart vigor to the do !
lestic bird But this cross would be too
lid for use here, and probably great
anger under any circumstances .
aspondence of the Country Gentleman. =