The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1915-11-19


der an old colonial treaty they pay no taxes and
have their own government They must. how
ever, send to the governor of Virginia each year
a gift or game or fowl; and very often this gilt
takes the form of several large. plump turkeys
Many have been the explanations made as to
how the bird now popular at Thanksgiving
came to be called the turkey, most of which, to
the true scientist, nothing but fanciful One
such is the explanation that it comes from the
East Indian word "toka," which, in Hebrew, takes
the form "tukk' the peacock AS the Jews in
South Europe were acquainted with this fowl
which is related, 1t is assumed that they naturally
applied the word to the turkey wherever It was
introduced into Spain, and that thereafter It
called
Such roundabout way explanation. say those
who know, is entirely unnecessary The bird
was called turkey because il was supposed to
come from Turkey, where it known an
Egyptian hen. This. it is claimed. is merely in
accordance with a habit very general in the six
teenth century. Whenever and strange
things were presented to an ignorant public.
knowledge spread slowly, but superstition
deep, and hearsay was taken for truth. The mar
kets of North Europe received this fowl com
ing from South Europe. directly indirectly
from Turkey
In France, however the bird was called din
don" or in the feminine "dinde' as though it
were the fowl dInde-from India. The Mexican
name for the bird Is 'huajolote." which scientists
claim indicates the old Aztec knowledge of the
turkey.
But whatever dispute has arisen as TO the
name of the turkey, the fact yet remains that the
turkey s indigenous to America. Although
scientists believe 1t is possible that there was a
species, the original of the present turkey i'm
dtgenous to the West Indian islands, Ii is generally
conceded that all turkeys have descended in some
way or other from the three forms known today
the North American. the Mexican and the
Honduras the ocellated varieties.
The Mexican turkey is found wild throughout
the republic 1t is short in shank. with feathers
on its body of metallic black shaded only slight.
ly with bronze, while all ts feathers are tipped
with white This appears to be the species first
taken to Spain and other European countries
II is thought that the white markings OF the
variety of domestic turkey known today as the
Narragansett come from this species
The Honduras turkey today is scattered all
over most of Central America and is extremely
wild. 1t has freer flight than its cousins of the
North The head and neck of this bird are naked
The ground color OF the plumage is a beautiful
bronze green, banded with bold bronze. blue and
red with bands of brilliant black. This bird
however cannot be bred successfully nor domes.
ticated away from its native habitat while even
there IL can hardly be successfully domesticated
The bronze turkey, that variety which today
holds the place of honor i'm the North American
group OF turkeys. is outdone by none when Il
to beauty size.
In the United States there are six standard
varieties recognized and grown. They are tn,
bronze. Narragansett. bun. slate white and black
The chief differences i'm size and color O
plumage The bronze and Narragansett are tn,
largest. the bun and slate medium while tn
white and back the smallest. Within lat,
years. however. the white variety has reached
such point OF popularity that It has increase,
I'm size. until with some dealers 1t occupies thir,
place.
failing to secure that place of honor suggeste
for IL by BENJAMIN Franklin-as the national bir
lit has nevertheless found place in the regar
OF the American people which is held by no 9th,
fowl.