Waterbury Democrat., 1902-04-26
TURKEY CONVERTS.
Heroic Efforts of Wild Bird to Win
 Domestic Proselytes.
Remarkable Instance Reported from Virginia PIantation-Desp Battle Between Tame and
 Wild GobbIers.

l Although nearly all wild animals are given more or less to prosely ting among their domesticated brethren, ] few are more ardently devoted to the cause than the wild turkey. For bird whose difidence in the haunts of men is so notorious, whose aversion to a shotgun is so acute, the labors of wild turkey to win a convert are al most brazen in their boidness. Ii he were attired in broadcloth and little white cravat, no doubt he would be accused of extravagant fanaticisfn, says New York exchange.
 There was a case of this kind not long ago on a plantation in Prince Ed wards county, Va. MT. Churchill had Ut the head of his flock of turkeys splendid old bronze gobler that was given to him by a northern friend. l The gobbler, pompous and vain by na- l ture, had become, as the acknowl- l edged head of a great house, bigoted and egotistical-int of the faults of his weaker brothers, suavely diplomatic with those he had reason to fear.
 For number of weeks previous to the encounter big two-year-old wild gobbler had come out of the pines each morning just before day, and l had perched himself on a cedar post, which formed part of the fence in closing the turkey runway. The northern man ssho had given the bronze gobbler to MT. Churchill was 1 the only witness to the untamed tur- | al rrfin a l northern mans sleeping-room oyer- looked the yards in which the turkeys l were kept, and each morning he was 1 awakened by the sharp, high-keyed debate going on between the two rep resentatives of the different branches of the family.
 As the days went on it became ap- parent that the civilized member was losing ground. The strutting young gobblers and the demure young hens I gave no heed to his eloquence and grace, and one evening at roll call it was found that four hens and two I gobblers were missing. The next morning the gobbler returned.
 The intruder perched himself jaunt- fly on the cedar post, folded his wings with fippant flourish, and taunted his adversary with low gutteral mono syllables. For moment the home bird stood motionless, then, with a war cry that gurgled with his wrath and was more stuttering than impress sive, he lunged at the foe, and missed him by a foot, striking the wire fence and falling to the ground The other gobbler saw his advantage and did not neglect it. Tn a second he was up on the fallen foe, striking with his great feet, beating with his wings, and pecking furiously with his short bill This latter weapon seemed to be his most effective one, and when the tame turkey finally struggled to his feet, the northern man, who had been watching the battle from his window, could see that he was blind. But he had not lost courage, and he fought on in the darkness, neither asking nor giving quarter, fighting for his flock and his faith. Unlike game cocks, the birds did not stand off and spar nor make spectacular lunges at one an other. After the first gobbler's futile rush there was no let-up. With feet bills and wings, they waged their bat tie, the old warrior always on the de fensive, most of the time on the ground, but never with his back to the foe. His followers, those for whom . he was shedding his brave bronze feathers in pitiful handfuls, stood huddled together in one corner of the runway. Not one came to the old fel
 lows rescue. Five times the northern man saw him stagger to his feet, only to be battered down by his wild brother. Finally the noise of theil
 wings and the frantic chattering o1
 the other turkeys brought MT , Churchill out to the battle-ground The second the wild turkey espied him , he turned and beat an inglorious re treat towards the woods, but for tht
 old bronze gobbler aid had come toe ; late He fell where he fOupht