Once upon a time, Ben Franklin was reported to favor the Turkey over the Bald Eagle as our national symbol. On closer inspection, thought, it appears that this was a bit tongue-in-cheek of Mr. Franklin who, in a letter to his daughter, seemed to be more critical of a particular drawing of an eagle than he was supportive of putting a turkey on the Great Seal.
An excerpt of this letter to his daughter Sally:
"For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country. He is a Bird of bad moral Character. He does not get his Living honestly. You may have seen him perched on some dead Tree near the River, where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the Labour of the Fishing Hawk; and when that diligent Bird has at length taken a Fish, and is bearing it to his Nest for the Support of his Mate and young Ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him and takes it from him.
"With all this Injustice, he is never in good Case but like those among Men who live by Sharping & Robbing he is generally poor and often very lousy. Besides he is a rank Coward: The little King Bird not bigger than a Sparrow attacks him boldly and drives him out of the District. He is therefore by no means a proper Emblem for the brave and honest Cincinnati of America who have driven all the King birds from our Country . . .
"I am on this account not displeased that the Figure is not known as a Bald Eagle, but looks more like a Turkey. For the Truth the Turkey is in Comparison a much more respectable Bird, and withal a true original Native of America . . . He is besides, though a little vain & silly, a Bird of Courage, and would not hesitate to attack a Grenadier of the British Guards who should presume to invade his Farm Yard with a red Coat on."
Having had my yard invaded this weekend by a rafter of turkeys (yup, a group of turkeys is called a rafter. Not to be confused with a raft of ducks or an unkindness of ravens) I have to say that I believe these birds are certainly stately enough to grace the Great Seal and/or our currency. Ben might have been onto something after all.
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Comments: 52
Would we then have to eat eagle for Thanksgiving???????
Jackie, leave it to you....the thought never entered my mind....however, fair is fair. (Do you think eagles might taste like chickens?)
Rob, 300!?! I'm surprised they need a sign at all. I imagine that is quite a sight. So, what are the chances of talking you into taking your camera to the village limits and sharing some photos with us?
And, re: the politicians. Having seen the boldness of these turkeys this weekend I think if even 10% of our politicians had their spirit this would be a very different country today.
Kay, the girl's are called 'hens'. (the fellas are 'toms').
Bob, I am 100% behind you guy!! Watching your back!
www.wingstofly.gather.com
But, ahem....ahhh...stutter...(how do I say this??).... ahhh.... I don't think these guys can fly - I've never seen them do so.
I had heard about Ben's preference before..thanks for adding it to the great photos.
Thanks Peter.
Ann, well if they were looking to get shot, they did indeed come to the right place.
Mariana, thanks but I think we have to be careful here. That line of argument might get the common earth worm on our $10 bill. Could get out of hand quickly.
I also loved your images... they really show the wild turkey as a regal and beautiful bird.
THanks Joel. I had forgotten about "W", the turkey that used to visit our neighborhood a couple of years ago. And I can't remember why we called him "W". (Oh, yeah, he was also a turkey, wasn't he).
THanks Kevin. Glad you enjoyed this.
Nana, the guys around here are relatively slow. I think they've gotten a bit complacent.
I wish I'd been able to photograph the dozen ocelated turkeys we saw doing a courting display on the approach to Calakamul in the Yucatan. Sometimes it is necessary to remember things without aides de memoire, but a lot of detail is lost!
I love his 'Advice to a Young man Contemplating an Older Mistress.'
(That was slightly loaded, but I'll let it go)
Tony, I hope you wander back here soon
Dawn, I wasn't sure myself but it turns out turkeys can fly. I've actually seen a bunch of them hanging out on the branches of an oak tree.
Most curious was your explanation of the term "rafter," it was more than educational, it was a grand chuckle for me.
I realy enjoyed this. Thanks!
Great photo essay and info!
so why are you not posting anymore photos?......are you doing ok?
cheers,gayle
Thanks again to all.