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Show rafe 1 iJRKEY: M ; America's Cotv M "l--iyf&?i(y V slIPi- His explorations were chiefly in II 0Wl l h2W what Is todav Texas, Arizona nd New S. . - IsU. t3lF'Wi-, Mexico. In all the Indian villages, ac- mSSSmfm! cording to those early explorers, tur- l , , J" r r1"' vpv wpro tr, ho fniinrl hnth wild and m s URKEY for Thanksgiving! 1 Well, rather. Why, oth- erwlse it wouldn't seem I ' like a Thanksgiving din-ctSsv din-ctSsv ner. And- don't let's isPSSj have too much else and ST V mighty, little ahead of it. TO, ffl Just a simple dinner, you Sgg know turkey with dressing dress-ing and gravy, mashed potatoes, cranberries, pumpkin or mince pie with Herkimer county cheese and cider. Let it go at that. Enough Is as good as a feast. Which reminds us that no king or haughty potentate of any kind, even In prewar days when they were many, could by any human possibility have a more toothsome feast. They aren't made, you know. . Which also reminds us that the turkey tur-key Is America's gift to the world. The turkey Is truly an American bird. It existed on the continent with the Indians before Columbus landed. Only a few, yC?trs ago among the caves of Arizona the mummified remains of s turkey were found. Practically every cave once occupied by the cliff dwellers dwell-ers of that region contained the bones or feathers of the turkey, but this specimen spe-cimen Is intact. Its age is a matter of speculation among the scientists of the National museum, where the specimen speci-men Is on exhibition. Another interesting fact in this same connection resulted from a scientific expedition which Dr. O. Hart Merri-man Merri-man made among the mountains of Arizona ; he came across a living species spe-cies of bird Identical with the one found mummified and which Is known to the scientific world by his name. Another recent discovery In connection connec-tion with the turkey was a Maya hieroglyphic. hiero-glyphic. This piece of parchment shows a grocer's account In which Is mentioned, men-tioned, with other things, ten turkey hens and five turkey cocks. The distinction dis-tinction between the two is quite apparent ap-parent In the crude drawings. This Is thought to be the first record of the turkey In this country and antedates the expedition of Cortes to Mexico In 1519. But the turkey goes back further among the Indians than even the probable prob-able date at which the specimen found In the cave existed. Among the Zunls, for Instance, there exist many legends handed down from time Immemorial, which have for their subject the tur- Perhaps none Is more Interesting than the one which tells why his tall feathers are dark, showing, as it does, not only the place he held In the estimation esti-mation of the Indians, but also a noticeable no-ticeable similarity to the flood story from our Bible. Once upon a time, so the legend runs, there was a flood and the face of the world was covered with water. And the turkey, weary of continually fylng, decided to seek some spot on which he might light and rest. But the other birds and animals advised him not to; and the very gods themselves warned him. He refused, however, to heed either advice or warnings and set out in search of land. After much effort be discovered a single spot not covered by water and alighted. But he found it only deep mud. So he decided to hunt farther for some dry place on which "to rest But, alas, when he came to fly, he found his tall feathers stuck fvst In the mud. He pulled and pulled, but could not get them loose. Finally, however, after af-ter a gigantic tug, he managed to free himself. But bits of mud stuck to the end of the tall feathers. And to this day turkeys have dark spots there a sign of their disobedience to divine command. The turkey plays a more important part in the life of the Indian than in his legends alone. Not only Is it regarded re-garded as a choice article of food, but In many tribes It Is held sacred. In the parts of the country where curious devotion to animals characterizes different stagM in the development develop-ment of civilization It was never eaten eat-en except whon other food was un- obtatnaDie. Turkey feaihers rank next In Importance Impor-tance to those of the eagle with all tribes, while the Apaches, the Pamun-keys Pamun-keys and Cheyennes chose the turkey's feathers for all ceremonial headdresses and ornaments. The Pamunkey tribe also used turkey feathers for ornamental orna-mental purposes on their clothing, as well as for their headgears. To this day, when they don their native costumes, cos-tumes, the turkey feather Is preferred as ornament. If Benjamin Franklin's words had been heeded, the turkey would have been the national bird of the United States. The eagle Is a first cousin to the species known of old In the eastern hemisphere. Furthermore, It has appeared ap-peared upon the banners of many nations. na-tions. It was a symbol of the Roman empire. It was known In China for ages, and today It appears upon the banners of Russia, Germany and several sev-eral other nations. The turkey, however, Is indigenous to America. When the early European Eu-ropean adventurers and settlers arrived ar-rived they beheld great flocks of turkeys, tur-keys, and It soon became known that they' were a favorite food among the Indians. After a while turkeys were proudly sent home as trophies of the chase. In this way the turkey became practically a world-favorite as a food. When Cortes In 1519 ascended to the plateau of Mexico he found a social life developed to a high degree of refinement. re-finement. He wns entertained with oriental magnificence. All the delicacies deli-cacies to be found within the empire were set before him, and though game was abundant, the turkey held the place of honor among the fowl. This was the first time that the Spaniards had eaten turkey. North of the Rio Grande the turkey was equally well known and treasured. The celebrated expedition of Coronndo, between 1527 and 1547. penetrated this unexplored region west of the MIssls- sippi. His explorations were chiefly iu what is today Texas, Arizona ivid New Mexico. In all the Indian villages, according ac-cording to those early explorers, turkeys tur-keys were to be found, both wild and domesticated. Cortes, In one of his famous letters written about 1518, mentions the turkey. tur-key. He carried specimens of the bird to Spain In 1520, where they came Into Immediate popularity, and the breeding breed-ing of turkeys soon became established. establish-ed. It was then that the turkey became be-came known as "pavos," on account of his relationship to the peacock, which was then called "pavo real' the fowl of kings. It was a long time before the turkey tur-key reached France, as far as can be learned from history, for the first turkey tur-key eaten there was at the wedding of 'Charles IX and Elizabeth of Austria, Aus-tria, June 27, 1579, or 50 years after Spain had first tasted the bird. The turkey supplied for the wedding came from "somewhere in the American wilderness." Its Introduction Into England seems to have been in 154. But, whenever It was, it soon came Into popular favor and was given such local names as Black Norfolk and Large Cambridge. It Is an Interesting fact that these descendants of the parent stock were carried back again across the Atlantic ocean to New England, where, crossed with the original turkey already there, they began the breed that has spread from one end of the country to the .other. Many have been the explanations made as to how the bird now so popular popu-lar at Thanksgiving came to be called the turkey, most of which, to the true scientist, are nothing but fanciful. The bird was called turkey because It was supposed to come from Turkey, where It was known as an Egyptian hen. The markets of north Europe received this fowl as coming from south Europe, Eu-rope, directly or indirectly from Turkey. Tur-key. In France, however, the bird was called "dlndon," or In the feminine "dinde," as though It were the fowl d'lHde from India. But whatever dispute has arisen as to the name of the turkey, the fact yet remains that the turkey Is indigenous to America. Although scientists believe be-lieve It Is possible that there was a species, the original of the present turkey. tur-key. Indigenous to the West India Islands, Is-lands, it Is generally conceded thnt all turkeys have descended In some way or other from the three forms known today as the North American, the Mexican Mex-ican and the Honduras, the ocellated variety. The Mexican turkey Is found wild throughout the republic. It appears to be the species first taken to Spain and other European countries. It Is thought thnt the white markings of the variety of domestic turkey known today to-day as the Narragansett come from this species. Whatever the turkey mti have missed miss-ed through failing to secure thnt place of honor suggested for It by Benjamin Franklin as the national bird it has nevertheless found a place in the regard re-gard of the American peop'e which la held by no other fowl at least at Thanksgiving. |