Scientifically, the turkey is closely related to the grouse, quail, and pheasant. Science or no, I have yet to see a grouse, quail or pheasant stand out in the rain with their beaks pointed upward, mercerized by drops of water falling from the sky until they drown of their own curiosity, or stupidity. Yes, turkeys don't know when to get in out of the rain, so I discovered. But they were cute riding around on the backs of the goats. It was fun to watch a stranger drive up and see a dozen or so thirty pound birds converge on the person's car, climb all over it and glare in through the windshield. It does tend to keep solicitors and salesmen at bay.
In spite of how or when turkeys arrived in America, or how they got their name, I am just thankful the delicious, sweet-natured creatures are here.
To learn more about turkeys or Thanksgiving on the Internet see:
The Origin of the Peace Eagle http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/5292... Here is a beautiful story, as well as a beautifully done site, giving the Native American version on the origin of the turkey.
Thanksgiving Holiday Recipes http://rats2u.com/thanksgiving/thanksgiv... There are recipes for your entire meal here. There are links to the Etiquette of Eating Turkey, Thanksgiving for Pets, History of Thanksgiving, prayers and screen savers.
Don't Forget to Visit Our SUITE 101 UNIVERSITY: your place for online learning! A new course has been added and is now in progress: THE GREAT AMERICAN WEST, 1861 to 1876, written and instructed by Mary Trotter Kion. http://www.suite101.com/course.cfm/17161...
The major sources for this article are:
North American Wildlife: Published by Readers Digest, 1984
The Life of Prairies and Plaines: by Durward L. Allen. Published by McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York, 1967.
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