The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-12-01
SEEK TO Cheaper
PRICE Of TURKEYS
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
EXPERIMENTING WITH SOUTH
MEXICAN BIRDS
OCELLATED VARIETY
EXPECTED TO MAKE STRONGER
BREED, WITH BETTER-FLA-
voRED MEAT AND AT
LOWER PRICE
OCELLATED VARIETY
Nv VICTOR Elliott,

WASHINGTON, Nov. 30.-Quite
appropriate to the Thanksgiving and
Christmas seasons, the department of
agriculture recently announced that
it's experts were, experimenting with
q new species OF turkey for use in
the United States. This experimental
ton Is being made both for the pur-
pose of improving the breed of the
turkey now existent here and for the
purpose Of reducing the price OF these
holiday delicacies.
The new fowl is the "ocellated"
turkey from Yucatan and If 1t lives
up to it's advance notices, the high
prices of this kind of holiday bird
will steadily decrease and turkey as
an article OF diet, will become as usu-
al as chicken--or rather as usual as
chicken used to be before the rise
In the cost OF pullets.
Meat Better Favored.
In addition to cheapening the cost
Of the turkey the introduction of the
''ocellated" variety from southern
Mexico also Is expected to enhance
the flavor Of bird and to give new
rest to the meat. This bird is des-
ignated as "ocellated'' because of the
eyes that appear on Its tail feathers.
Its plumage Is much like that of the
peacock In this respect.
One should understand to start with
that this variety of turkey. which has
never before been successfully domes-
ticated in this country, Is one OF
the most beautiful of feathered Great
ures. 1t Is of about the same size as
our turkeys, but of a more bril-
liant coioration and with eyes" scat
tered over Its tail like the peacock,
Indeed, when the Spaniards invaded
Mexico. early in the sixteenth century.
they found these domestieated turk
cystic birds being kept and bred
by Montezuma to feed the jaguars.
puma and other carnivora which that
monarch maintained in his zoo-and
supposed them to be a species of pea
cock, describing them as such in their
letters to the home folks" in Mad
rid. Cadiz and Sevellie. But the
Spaniards never saw the wild. "oceI-
lated" turkey. else the resemblance
TO the peacock would have struck
them even more forcibly.
Bird OF Fine Piumage.
This species Is bird of varied and
beautiful plumage, even more so than
either the wild turkey of the United
States and the native turkey of Mexi-
co. 1t Is indeed riyaied in beauty by
but few feathered creatures. Its head
and neck are deep blue. covered by
bright red wart-like excresences, its
back and rump are black tipped with
red, Its wing-coverts are deep red
and its bill, legs aud feet are yet an
other shade of crimson.
For many centuries this gorgeous
fowl has been hunted by the natives
Of the countries which 1t inhabits-
Yucatan. Guatemala and Honduras
and. in consequence, 1t has become
very shy. So much so, indeed, that
according to the testimony of natu-
ralists, few birds are as difficult OF
approach. Yet. II Is not like our
wild turkey, a denizen Of dense for
ests. but rather freauerter OF the
edges Of clearings and Of such places
as the borders of corn fields.
It's habits, however, are much like
those OF our wild turkey. 1t roosts
in trees and builds its nest In a fash
ion similar to that OF its North Ameri-
can cousin. One Of its pecuiarities Is
a song which is like that OF no other
bird and which is described as re-
sembling the roll of distant wood
pecker.
May Utilize Feathers
All turkeys are handsome birds
circumstance not surprising when
one considers their archaeological re-
lationship with the pheasant and pea
cock. but the 'ocellated" turkey is
by far the handsomest OF the species
and the department of agriculture Is
hoping that the feathers of the new
turkey will find fashionable favor as
trimmings for hats. dresses and the
other uses to which the feminine mind
places bright colors and striking tints.
This will probably be the case before
the new variety Of turkey comes into
UeneraI use, then the feathers will