Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1906-10-27

| (1785) History of Provence, and
who has collected many things which
do honor to Renatus, makes no men
ton of this service, though he could
not be ignorant of what had been be-
fore related by his namesake.
Had these fowls been known so
early as the time Of that monarch,
who died in 1880, it is impossible that
they could have been so scarce in
France as they really were about 100
years after. The assertion oft re-
peated, but never proved, that they
were first brought to France by
Phillip, the Chabot admirable under
Francis |, is much more probable.
"Chabot died in 1543; and what
Scaliger says, that in 1910 some tur-
keys were still remaining in France,
may be considered as abiding to the
above circumstance.
This much, however, is certain
that Gyllius, who died in 1866, gave
the first scientific description of
them, which had been given shortly
before his death, and which were
made use of by both Gesner and AL
drovandus in their work on 'Orni-
thology.' The same year the first
figure Of them was published by
Bellon.
About the same time they were
described also by La Bruyere- Cham
pier, who expressly remarks that
they had a few years before been
brought to France from the Indian
islands discovered by the Portuguese
and the Spaniards.
How, then, could Darlington as
sert that this Frenchman meant the
East and not the West Indies They
must, however, have been long
time scarce in France; for, in the
year 1866, when Charles TX passed
through Amiens, the magistrates did
not disdain to send him, among other
presents, twelve turkeys. This in
formation seems to agree with the
account often quoted, that the first
turkeys were served up, as a great
rarity, at the wedding dinner of that
monarch in the year 1870; but it
seems the breed of these fowls was
not very common Under Charles TX,
for they are not named in the ordi-
ance of 1868 and 1867, in which all
other fowls are mentioned.
"In the year 1903 Henry " caused
higglers to be punished who carried
away turkeys from the country viii
lagos without paying for them, under
the pretense that they were for the
use of the queen.
LAS these American fowls must
have been carried to Germany though
other lands, we cannot expect to find
them in that country at an earlier
period.
"Gesner, who published his work
in 1856 on 'OrnitholOgy, seems not
to have seen them.
eve are, however, assured by
several authors, such as B. Horseback
Colerus and others, that turkeys
were brought to Germany so early |
as 1880; and at the same year carried |
to Bohemia and Silesia.
Respecting the northern countries
by the authority of Pontoppidan, |
they had been in Denmark 200 years
before his time 1888.
"As these fowls are found at pres
ent in Asia and Africa, it may be
worth while to briefly mention that
as much proof can be given that they |
were not known there until intro
1uced by Europeans"
The standard weights of Bronze
are: Adult cock, SO pounds;
yearling cock, 80 pounds; cockerel, |
Is pounds; hen, 20 pounds, pullet, 10
pounds.
The disqualifyinG weights are:
Adult cock weighing less than 80
pounds; yearling cock, less than 25
pounds; cockerel, less than 18 pounds;
len, less than IA pounds; pullet, less
than 10 pounds.
Color of body black. beautifully |
shaded with bronze. Fluff, black,
each feather ending in a wide black
bronze band extended across the
feather. with a narrow edging of
white. Males wing bows brilliant
bronze with greenish luster.