> > I believe it was Ben Franklin who campaigned for the turkey to become the US national bird rather than the bald eagle. What a man. I'd love to have met him.
> >
> > Brunnen-"of *course* I'm being serious about the penguin"G
>
> He was only being half-serious about the turkey (I don't know if Franklin was ever totally serious about anything). See the link for a portion of his letter, it's pretty good.
>
> Stephen

Heh. Franklin WAS at least half-serious about the turkey as a national U.S. symbol. That's 'cause he wasn't thinking about the wimpy and land-bound Butterball turkey that folks carve up for Christmas. No, I think Ben was suggesting a particular bird that served the Pilgrims well during the first Thanksgiving -- the clever and canny Wild Turkey. The WT is a pure survivor who can take the cold of severe winter. If you've ever seen them, WT's are quite beautiful with iridescent brown and green plumage. They have exceptional hearing and eyesight. They can easily outrun you and during the fall, I see them flying in the cornfields, matching velocities with our car (going at 90 kph or 55 mph!) So personally, I'd say Franklin had the right idea in suggesting the Wild Turkey, for its symbolic finesse as the provender of the American frontier. :-)