Question 6:
Are Turkeys Friendly?
This is a question that has a deeper meaning, because Turkeys are indeed sociable creatures, enjoying each other`s company, and also the company of humans. They are also very clever, learning to recognise the voices of their flock, other birds, predators, and even the farmer who brings them food - despite the fact that they do not have ears, only holes in the side of their heads, and these are invisible, being entirely covered by feathers. But they work, for the most part, like our ears, where sound enters the tube and vibrates the ear drum. They are also fiercely protective of their flocks, and their children; the mothers raising their chicks for five months or more.
However they do not look very friendly, with their elongated, wrinkled, hairless, red necks, to say nothing of the dangling, wobbly wattles at their chin - and yet there are good reasons for both.
The naked neck helps the turkey cool down on a hot day, for birds cannot sweat. This is especially important on an over large genetically modified bird. It also acts as a signal as to how the bird feels - if they are angry the neck becomes inflamed and reddens, or if they are scared, it turns blue. Both these things are easy to spot when not covered with feathers.
As for the wattle, this also has a cooling function, and like the neck. can change colour. However it is in the breeding season when it really comes into play, becoming brighter and more colourful, a beacon of romance for lady turkeys. In fact, you may be surprised that other birds have wattles too, including chickens, but also storks, pheasants, and cassowaries.
This card comes from a set of twelve, but it is often sold as smaller groups, under different titles, often putting the birds and animals into two groups and sometimes even being sold as pairs. Sometimes these smaller groupings are wrongly called "Animals and Their Young" but this does not apply to all the cards.
Anyway the full set of twelve cards contains :
- Cats and kittens
- Chickens and chicks
- Deer
- Dogs
- Duck
- Goats
- Horses and a Donkey
- Oxen (often called cows, but the yoke that joins the two together is more usual on oxen)
- Rabbits
- Sheep and lambs
- Swans
- Turkeys
Malcolm Thompson has been in touch and told us that these cards were actually reproduced as modern postcards by The Museum of Advertising and Packaging (or the Robert Opie Collection). They were sold in two series, each of six cards, these comprising of 6 - A & B see below. Best regards Malcolm
Set A :
- Cats and kittens
- Chickens and chicks
- Duck and Geese
- Rabbits
- Swans
- Turkeys
Set B :
- Deer
- Dogs
- Goats
- Horses and a Donkey
- Oxen
- Sheep and lambs
I have not been able to find a site that lists Huntley and Palmer cards but maybe you know of one? I did find out that at the latter end of the nineteenth century several things happened that are helpful when dating cards. The first was in 1878, when they were awarded a gold medal at the Paris exhibition. The second is that in 1898 they became a limited company, so if your card, like ours, says Ltd it must be after 1898. And the third thing is that in 1900 they were awarded two gold medals at the Paris Exhibition