The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1916-11-30

was past, ne was
given place of
honor at the marriage banquet of a
king. So superior Wand was he con-
sidered when first introduced to Eu-
rope that in constitution" set forth
by Cranmer in 1914 turkey is named
as one of the greater fowls, of which
an ecclesiastic was to ''have but one
in q dishe." But he speedily multi
piled to such an extent that no later
than 1865 two turkeys and four tur-
key chicks were served at a feast Of
the sergeants-at-arms in London.
Turkeys at that period were men
toned in connection with cranes and
swans as important and rich items of
a banquet. A little later, in 1873, tur-
key were used on the tables of Eng
lish husbandmen for the Christmas
feast. In the meantime they were
more than plentiful in their home land,
where turkey continued to sell for
about six cents apiece as late as the
nineteenth century. For six cents in
those good old days turkey weighing
about II pounds could be bought by
a good shopper. If the family need
ed a turkey weighing Is or 80 pounds
1t was necessary to pay as much as a
quarter. But it must be remembered
that six cents in those days counted a
good deal more than 1t does in this.
Turkeys OF Various Kinds.
The turkey that the Aztecs wor-
SHIPPED was probably either the Mexi
can wild turkey, which is known by
the white touches on its tail coverts
and quilts, or, more appropriately, the
ocellated turkey of Honduras and
other parts of South America, whose
brilliant plumage, spotted almost as
gloriously with vivid colors as a pea
cock, somehow allies 1t particularly
with that vivid early people. The tur-
key which strolled out of the forests
of New England and furnished so mar
velous banquet for our Puritan fore
fathers was handsomer bird than
that of Mexico, in the opinion of some
lovers of beauty, but not so brilliant
a one as the Honduras turkey
The American wild turkey, which
really belongs to Thanksgiving, was
the North American wild turkey
found throughout the eastern United
States and Canada. Scientifically it is
known as the Meleagris Americana.
It's plumage is black, shaded with
bronze. In the rays of the sun the
bird CLEANS in a beautiful harmony Of
black copper, gold and bronze. And the
turkey likes the rays of the sun. He
hates damp weather, not alone because
it is bad for his health, but because
it obscures his beauty.
1t is generally believed at present
that all the turkeys of the world have
descended from the three forms known
as the North American bird, which has
just been described; the Mexican bird
and the ocellated bird.
Credit May Belong to Spaniards.
The turkey which was first intro
duced into Europe may have been car
ried there by the Spaniards from Mex
leo or the Jesuits may have taken it
back across the waters from one OF
their scattered stations in the great
woods Of Canada. In any event, one
of its representatives figured at the
marriage banquet of Charles TX and
was regarded as of sufficient impor-
lance to be mentioned in the reports
of that festivity.
The Mexican turkey is the wild bird
of Mexico, which also came over the
line into the southern part Of the
United States. Meleagris Gallopava
is the name that is generally employed
to describe this turkey. 1t is some
what shorter In the shank than the
northern species. Its body color is
metallic black, shaded with bronze
This is thought to be the species that
the early navigators first bore back
to Spain and England. The white tips
OF its plumage also have suggested
that it is to this bird rather than to
the wild turkey of North America
that most of the domestic fowls owe
their origin.
The ocellated turkey, Meleagris Ocel-
lata, which is smaller than the 9TH
ers, has bare head and neck Its
body plumage is bronze and green,
banded with gold bronze and varied
with spots or eyes of brilliant colors-
blue, red and brilliant black.
Why Is > Turkey So Named?
Why the turkey is called the tur-
key when it's origin is admittedly pure
~ occidental is subject that has puz-
zled many persons. There are several
reasons given by those who have
delyed deeply into this problem, and
one is privileged to take his choice.
In the first place, it is stated that the
turkey was originally supposed to
have come from Asia. Thus at a
time when a great stretch of territory
on the Asiatic continent was called
Turkey" the bird derived its name
from it's supposed origin. Another
speculative chronicler records that the
Indians called the bird ''firkee'' and
that from this its common name was
created. Then, again, it is somewhat
generally believed that the bird named
itself by its peculiar utterances, which
are still translated as "turk- turk
fnrkee-" Again. still more subtle nhiIos-