The San Francisco call., 1910-01-09

farm at Hayward. however. is the work
that is being done with that king of all
game birds, the wild turkey, and there
is no doubt that in a few years this
bird, which has become practically ex-
tinct in its natural ranging places, will
be found a denizen of the more remote
places on the mountains where the
trees and underground afford it safe
cover. The range of this great game
bird was originally the whole eastern
United States, as far west as Kansas
and Nebraska, but it is now rarely
found, hardly existing at all, save in
the southern Alleghenies. the Ozarks
and the heavily timbered bottoms of
the southern rivers. All of the early
travellers through the more heavily
wooded portions of the eastern states
join in noticing the abundance of the
wild turkey; Audubon, especially, re-
marking upon the great number of
them that he saw in the northwestern
portion of Missouri. when he passed
through that state in 1s43, and even as
late as 1872 another ornithologist who
visited the same ground states that
they are not uncommon, but that they
are extremely shy and vigilant. This
condition, however, has vanished for
ever. The perfection Of firearms and the
game waste that went on for years re-
suited in the practical determination
q
lea or any other country ever knew,
and probably the only place where it
exists in any number whatever Is in
northern Mexico.
In California there is no record of
the wild turkey whatever, although
the densely wooded mountains that
lift along the eastern state line would
afford a safe and protecting cover, and
while the habitat of the Mexican wild
turkeys was not far from the Call
fornia line the fact that this bird is
nonmigratory perhaps explains its abb
sence from the Sierras and the dense
forests that extend impenetrably UP
the mountain sides. In planning for
the future of the state from a game
standpoint, however, the fish and game
commission devoted no little thought
70 the subject OF supplying the hunter
of future years with the bird that
formed the basis for Thanksgiving
feasts of years gone by, and as re-
suit OF the enthusiasm developed by
Charles A vogelsang, the chief deputy
OF the commission, and ]. A. Argabrite,
the superintendent Of the game farm,
the attempt to bring the wild turkey
TO California was undertaken In 1908.
From the state of Sinaloa, in Mexico,
there were AZ wild turkeys procured
and OF this number 20 were released
in the San Bernardino mountains,
where, from all accounts, they have
begun to increase, as they are seen
occasionally by hunters who climb far
up into the mountains after deer. The
remainder of the turkeys procured
from Mexico were taken to the game
farm at Hayward and there placed
under the care of Mr.. Argabrite. who
is highly gratiied at the success that
IS attendant upon the experiment
From the turkeys placed under his
care the results attained were beyond
all expectations, and IN the summer Of
1903 there we're 100 young birds, able
to fly far and strongly and thoroughly
competent in so far as taking care OF
themselves was concerned, liberated in
the national parks in Tulare and Mari
posa counties.
To illustrate the fact that these
game birds revert at ones to wildness
the facts attendant upon their re-
lease from captivity furnishes ample
testimony. Under the care OF Arga-
brite's son they were transported to the
Yosemite and part of them set free
close to spot where some forest
rangers in the government service
were at work Care was taken that
they should be supplied with food until