Evening star., 1931-11-22
TURKEY M|SNAMED,
HAS ODD HISTORY
Europe Thought New Land
Where Birds 'ThriVed
Part of Asia.
BY JAMES WALDO FAWCETT


Poultry dealers have been advertising
that turkeys are cheaper this year than
they have been at any time in the last
twenty years, and the presumption Is
that, for this and other reasons, there
will be turkey on the dinner plates Of a
good many hundreds of thousands Of
American families on Thursday next
The acknowledged king of all game
birds, the turkey really is an American
bird and not related in any way to the
Mahommedan country whose name it
bears. John Fiske says: THE name Of
this fowl preserves a curious illustration
of the mixture Of truth and error which
led TO the discovery Of America. When
1t was first introduced into European
barn yards in 1880 people named it on
the theory that it was an Asiatic fowl.
The Germans for a while called it Gale
cutische hahn or Calcutta cock; the
French still call it dinde, which at first
was poulet d'Inde or India fowl; and
the English called it the Turkey fowl,
but the country which 1t came from
was really Mexico"
Eaten by Indians.
Mr.. FiSke speaks of the turkey as be-
ing "the staple diet" of the Indian peo-
pies Of Mexico at the time OF the Span
ish conquest. 1.-The bird" he declares,
sis as characteristic of Mexico as its
cactuses."
DR.. Henry W. Henshaw writes: "To
what extent the AZtecS had domeSticated
the wild turkey before the coming Of the
Spaniards is not known, but undoubt-
e6ly it was kept in captivity and had
been known for centuries" It was q
Spaniard who carried the bird back to
Europe in $780,
The northern variety (Americana)
NJ he
cana) are sometimes discussed as be-
longing to but one group. Originally
ranging from Canada to Yucatan, they
are now practically extinct in the wild
state. A beautiful bird, with bright,
metallic gloss on its plumage, the north
ern type was common in New England
when the Pilgrims appeared. The south
ern type has its tail-coverts and quilts
tipped with white. The third variety
(Ocellata) has plumage comparable in
splendor with that of the peacock and
the skin of its head Is blue In color
with spots of orange.
It was the southern type which was
taken to Spain in the sixteenth century
and scientists think that this species
was re-introduced into North America
by coloniSts from Europe. About rs
years ago deliberate attempt was
made abroad to improve the stock. BY
1865, the original southern variety was
known in England as the Cambridge
Bronze. and there were also Black Nor
folks, Whites and Fawns (buffs). OF
these the Cambridge Bronze was the
largest and the Black Norfolks the most
popular Later turkey Of larger size
was wanted, and so there was i'm
ported from North America the So
called American Bronze, with less
white and more brilliant coloring."
These were bred with the Cambridge
and the turkey of the European menus
of today is descended from the mix
ture. There are several sub-varieties.
The white turkey, called for unknown
reasons the Austrian White in Europe,
the White Holland in America, Is very
popular with Continental epicures.
Fossils Show History.
In America the common commercial
varieties include the slate, the Narra-
gansett and the Bourbon Red. "All
these pigments are ingredients Of the
bronze coloration."
The turkey is a very ancient bird,
and biologists have found its remains
in the Miocene strata OF Colorado.
"Suficiently intelligent and wary to
hold it's own against the Indian and its
numerous natural enemies, particularly
the wild cat and cougar" the wild
turkey was very plentiful in the United
States throughout the Colonial period.
DR.. Henshaw has said that "as recently
as the late SOS q flock had ranged for
at least 10 years not far from the banks
of the Potomac" within sight of the
dome of the Capitol. The bird has
stout legs which enable 1t to travel
daily over a wide extent Of hill and
valley in search for seeds, grasshop-
pers, insects and berries. Inclined to
trust its legs when confronted by dan
ger it either dashes OF at full speed or
sneaks quietly away through the
bushes" 1t is also euaipped with pow
erful wings and roosts in the tops OF
large trees. AS early as 1708 wild tlir--
keys were protected by law IN New
York.
Misnamed in England.
The first turkeys to be seen in Eng
land were those taken back from
Jamestown, Va, by Capt. Christopher
Newport in 1908. At that time the
West was still popularity considered the
East, and the name Turkey" was COM
monty applied to a large section OF the
eastern world, the greater part Of Asia
being thus denominated. The new
bird was thought to be a special prod
uct Of the East, and 1t was named "the
Turkey bird" in tribute to Its supposed