"Hereabouts is my forest pen," he said. "Hark! I hear some curious
clucking sounds. There's more than one bird there, or I am much
mistaken." Stepping forward he peered over the branches, when he
beckoned us to advance, and, he lifting me in his arms, I saw not only a
hen turkey in the pen, but a brood of a dozen or more turkey poults
running in and out among the bars, while the hen was evidently calling
to them, suspecting that danger was near.

They were too young to fly up into the trees, which they do on being
alarmed, when scarcely more than a fortnight old. Uncle Denis was
highly pleased.

"I shall have a fine addition to the poultry-yard," he said, "for I
shall tame all these young ones by cutting their wings, and they will
not be able to follow their mother into the woods, so for their sake she
will probably be content to share their captivity."

Peter, a black boy, had accompanied us, and Uncle Denis sent him back
for a couple of baskets. The turkey hen, though much alarmed, having
gathered her poults under her wings, stood ready to defend them bravely.
Uncle Denis said that she had probably got into the pen directly after
he had last seen it, and he recollected having left inside a quantity of
corn, with which he was going to bait some other pens in the
neighbourhood. This had served to keep her alive, unless perhaps her
faithful mate had brought her food. If such was the case, the
"gobbler," as the male bird is called, took good care to keep out of our
way. Wild turkeys in those days abounded through the whole of the
southern states. I have often seen--of course I speak of a subsequent
time of my life--ten or a dozen hen turkeys, with their families
amounting to eighty or a hundred head, on their annual migration, old
and young moving in the same direction, making use of their legs in
preference to their wings, unless when intercepted by a river, or
frightened by the appearance of a hunter and his dogs. On reaching a
river they climb to some neighbouring height, where they remain for a
day or two to consult apparently as to the best means of getting across:
on such occasions the males making a loud gobbling noise, strutting
about looking very important, as if about to perform some heroic action.
At last, when they have settled their plan, the birds of all ages mount
to the tops of the highest trees bordering the stream. There they sit
for a short time, when their leader gives a loud "cluck."