ing, which cook quick before a sharp fire, serve with toasted bread under.

618. WHITE GROUSE OR PTARMIGAN (le Lagopède). ---The birds are perfectly white; they now arrive in the London market from February to May; from Sweden and Norway, packed in ice: they have rather a strong flavour of the pine; but when young and tender, are good eating. They are to be trussed like the above, and plain roasted, and served with toast under and fried bread-crumbs, separate, or dressed as follows :--Put two spoonfuls of currant jelly in a stewpan, with the juice of a lemon and a little salt dissolved in it; when melted, pour over and serve.

There is another sort of grouse, known as the Wood Grouse or Capercailzie; these are rare in this country; I have occasionally received a few from Scotland. These are to be plain roasted, and served as the above.

619. WILD DUCKS (Canard Sauvage).-The male is called the Mallard, and the young one Flapper. Under the above title a great many birds are sold.

They should all be cooked alike; they must be kept two or three days before they are dressed; they are trussed by twisting each leg at the knuckle, and resting the claws on each side of the breast, fixing them with a skewer run through the thighs and pinions of the wings; rub the liver over the breast, roast them before a quick fire from fifteen to twenty minutes, baste with butter, not basting them when first put down will keep the gravy in; one should be better done than the other, in order to suit the taste of those at table; serve with made gravy under, and a lemon separate.

620. CANVASS BACK DUCK.-A friend of mine gave me some of these delicate birds from America, but which were already cooked and preserved in tins. I could not speak very highly of them, being to my fancy too much done; but I believe they now arrive in England packed in ice. They have a gray plumage.

They should be cooked like wild duck, but nearer the fire, the fat being so delicate that it requires to be cooked quickly; good plain gravy is all that is required to make them perfect.

The following is a list of those ducks fit to be eaten :-Golden Eye Duck (le Garrot, or Piedcurre); Gray Duck (le Chipeau); Morillon, or Gurgling Curries; in Scotland, Douckers (le Morillon); Pintailed Duck or Winter Duck, Sea Pheasant or Cracker (le Canard à longue queue); Scaup Duck, Gray-back Curre and Teal Drake (le Vignons); Shoveller, or Kertlutock, or Broadbilled Duck on the east coast, Becks and Scopper-bills (le Souchet). There is also a variety called the Red-breasted Shoveller, which we receive in

London from Holland about Christmas; the flesh of this bird is superior to that of the common wild duck, the wing can be eaten with the breast; Tufted Duck, or Blue-billed Curries and Dovvers (le petit Morillon): there are other birds of this species, but not fit to be eaten, as the Black Duck or Scoter (la Macreuse); Burrough Duck or Sheldrake (le Tadorne); the young ones may be eaten; Eider Duck, St. Cuthbert's, or Great Black and White Duck (l'Eider); Long-tailed Duck or Swallow-tailed Sheldrake (Canard de Miclon); Velvet Duck, Great Black Duck or Double Scoter (le grande Macreuse).

621. WIDGEON, WHEWER, OR WHIM (le Canard Siffleur).-These should be eaten fresher than a wild duck, trussed, dressed, and served the same; fifteen minutes is sufficient before a good fire.

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622. DUNBIRD, POCHARD, OR GREAT-HEADED WIDGEON (Pénélope, le Millouin). In some parts Red Heads, Parkers, or Half Birds. These are dressed as above, but not so good as the Widgeon.

623. TEAL (la petite Sarcelle).-This is a delicious bird when fat, which they generally are after a frost. They must be trussed with care like ducklings; they will take about eight minutes to roast; serve with gravy, water-cresses, and lemon, separate, about six on a dish; or with sauces Nos. 146, 148.

624. GARGANEY (la Sarcelle).—These are called Summer Teal, resemble it in shape, and are dressed the same way.

625. PLOVER.-Of these there are several sorts, all of which are good to eat at certain seasons. They are, the Great Plover, or Norfolk Plover, or Thick-kneed Bustard, or Stone Curlew (le grand Pluvier). The young of these are the best eating in September.-Bastard Plover, or Lapwing, or Peewit (le Vanneau). This one we get the eggs from; they are good in the winter. We get them from the South Downs, but they are much finer in France, where there is a proverb-" Qui n'a pas mangé de vanneau, ne sait pas ce que gibier vaut.”—Golden Plover (le Pluvier doré); Gray Plover (le Vanneau Pluvier); Dotterel (le Guignard); Ring Dotterel, Ring Plover, or Sea Lark (le petit Pluvier à collier); Long-legged Plover or Longshanks, or Sanderling (l'Echasse). The Golden and Large Dotterel are the best to eat.

They should be well kept, but not too long, trussed gently, but not drawn, and put on a skewer, place them a little distance from a sharp fire, with a bit of toast under to catch the trail, baste with a little good butter, ten minutes is sufficient; dress them with toast under, and serve with gravy separate. They may also be served barded with vine leaves and very thin bacon.

626. WOODCOCK (la Bécasse).—This is a most delicious bird when well cooked; they must not be kept too long; they are fit for cooking when they become black between the legs, and the feathers are rather loose; truss them with the legs twisted at the knuckles, and the feet pressing upon the thighs, bring the pinion of the wing to the thigh, having previously skinned the neck and head; bring the beak round under the wing, which pass through the pinions of the wings and thighs. Place four on a skewer, tie them on a spit, and roast before a sharp fire from ten to fifteen minutes, placing toast under to catch the trail; when done, serve on the toast and a very little gravy: they may also be barded with thin slices of bacon over the breast, and served with a sauce of fumet de gibier.

627. SNIPES.-Of these we have the Great or Solitary Snipe, (la grande Bécassine); the Common Snipe, Snite, or Heather Bleater, (la Bécassine); the Jack Snipe, Judcock, Jetcock, or Gid, (la petite Bécassine). The last is the best eating, and the hen better than the cock, although that is generally sent as a present from its beautiful plumage. They are dressed in every respect like Woodcocks; and from seven to ten minutes is sufficient. They may likewise be fried in plenty of oil, and served with sauces Nos. 136, 148.

628. LARKS (P'Alouette).—They are best in winter, when very fat; they are roasted plain, or with a thin slice of bacon and a leaf of celery tied over them; they require about eight minutes, and served with a little gravy and bread-crumbs; they are also used in pies (see Pigeon Pie); and may be dressed like snipes.

629. QUAIL (la Caille).—Should be killed at least fortyeight hours before they are wanted; they should then be plucked, singed, drawn, and trussed by cutting off the wings at the first pinion, leaving the feet, and fixing the pinion and the wings with a very small skewer; cover the breast with vine leaves and a slice of fat bacon, and run a skewer through the pinions and thighs of each: tie on a spit and roast for ten to twelve minutes before a sharp fire. They should be served a nice gold colour in a dish with a little gravy; they may also be trussed as above, and put into a pig's caul, and roasted, and served with either sauces Nos. 146, 181.

⚫ 630. KNOT, KNUTE, OR KNOUT (le Canut).—This little bird is of the snipe kind, and is generally caught in nets; they

are best in autumn, when they are fat; they leave this country as soon as frost sets in. They are said to take their name from Canute, a Danish king, celebrated in English history for his reproof to his courtiers, who, it is reported, was exceedingly fond of them. They should be cooked like Snipes or Woodcocks.

631. RUFFES AND REEVES (le Combattant).—The first is the male, the latter the female; they are best at the latter end of May. They are caught in nets, and then kept in boxes, and fed on the following food:-two tablespoonfuls of wheat, one penny roll, one teaspoonful of hemp-seed, and a tablespoonful of sugar, boiled together in a pint of milk. Cook like Woodcocks.

632. LANDRAIL, CORNCRAKE, OR DAKERHEN (le Râle de Genêt).—This is a very nice bird about the latter end of August and September, when they are very fat; they are best caught in nets and fed; in cooking, proceed as for Larks.

633. WATER-RAIL, SPOTTED GALLINULE, OR WATERCRAKE.-This bird differs altogether from the former, and is a distinct species of itself; the heart is most delicious eating; it should be dressed and served like the Widgeon.

634. FIELDFARE (la Tourdelle).-In season in autumn, until the middle of December.

635. RED WING, WIND THRUSH, SWINE-PIPE (le Mauvis).-These two birds should be caught alive, either in net or by bird-lime, and fed for some days previous to killing; their food should consist of juniper berries, pounded figs, and bread; when fat and fed thus, they are excellent, and should be cooked like the Quail. These birds are the Turdi of the Romans.

636. THRUSH (Greve).-These should be eaten twentyfour hours after being killed. Pluck and take out entrails, leave the liver, cover with two vine leaves and a slice of bacon or pickled pork, and put in an oven or toast before the fire for ten minutes. These are not much in use in England, but are thought a delicacy by our neighbours on the Continent.

637. CURLEW (le Courlis).-The little Curlew, Curlew Jack, or Whimbrel (le petit Courlis).—These birds are most in season in April. I have had them from Kent and Sussex of most excellent eating; they should be cooked like Teal.

638. WILD GEESE, the common gray leg (l'Oie Sauvage). -Bean Goose; Barnacle Treegoose or Clakis (la Bernacle); Brent Goose (le Cravant); Egyptian Goose, Ganser, or Gambo, or Spur-winged (l'Oie d'Egypte); Red-breasted Goosiander, or Siberian Goose; White-fronted or Laughing Goose (l'Oie Rieuse.)-These birds, although being of the same species, differ very widely in flavour, depending much upon the place they last fed on previous to being killed; for although we have Barnacles in various parts of the kingdom, none are so fine as those taken at Wexford and Tralee in Ireland. The Brent and Whitefronted are by far the best eating, although at times some of the common gray jay are found very fine. They should be dressed like wild duck, only rubbing the breast well with a lemon, and sprinkle half a teaspoonful of red pepper over previous to spitting.

639. GANNET, GAN, OR SOLAN GOOSE (le Fou de Bassan).-This is a very different bird from the other wild geese. The best part to eat is the breast, which may be cut away after it has been plucked, for the feathers are valuable, and then salted for six hours, and dried or smoked; place them in a dry place and they will keep for some months. They should be cooked as follows:

Soak them in water twenty-four hours, having added a teaspoonful of culinary alkali, rub the breast with oil, cover with oiled paper the same as for "Cutlets en papillote;" broil gently for full thirty minutes, and serve in the paper or without with orange sauce.

The young ones can be roasted whole, like wild ducks.

640. TERNES, OR SEA-SWALLOWS, are good eating in autumn, dressed like the widgeon. These birds, in some places, are called Kipps, and their eggs are sold as plovers'.

641. GULLS, GREBES, DIVERS of all kinds, including the Dobchicks, are only fit to make into soups, although I am of opinion that if the young gull was taken and fattened for table, it would make a delicious bird.

642. COOT, THE GREAT, (le grande Foulque, or, la Macroule.)-Coot, common bald, (la Foulque, or Morrelle.This bird, if properly dressed, is not so bad as may be supposed. They should be skinned, trussed, and well soaked in several waters for twenty-four hours, and then filled with a goose stuffing, and allowed to remain forty-eight hours; then cover its breast with slices of fat bacon, and roast it gently serve with a fumet de gibier, or make it into pies, puddings, or soup.