Part 124 (2/2)
_Seasonable_ from the beginning of February to the end of April.
THE PTARMIGAN, OR WHITE GROUSE.--This bird is nearly the same size as red grouse, and is fond of lofty situations, where it braves the severest weather, and is found in most parts of Europe, as well as in Greenland. At Hudson's Bay they appear in such mult.i.tudes that so many as sixty or seventy are frequently taken at once in a net. As they are as tame as chickens, this is done without difficulty. Buffon says that the Ptarmigan avoids the solar heat, and prefers the frosts of the summits of the mountains; for, as the snow melts on the sides of the mountains, it ascends till it gains the top, where it makes a hole, and burrows in the snow. In winter, it flies in flocks, and feeds on the wild vegetation of the hills, which imparts to its flesh a bitter, but not altogether an unpalatable taste. It is dark-coloured, and has something of the flavour of the hare, and is greatly relished, and much sought after by some sportsmen.
[Ill.u.s.tration: THE PTARMIGAN.]
TO DRESS QUAILS.
1046. INGREDIENTS.--Quails, b.u.t.ter, toast.
_Mode_.--These birds keep good several days, and should be roasted without drawing. Truss them in the same manner as woodc.o.c.ks, No. 1062; roast them before a clear fire, keep them well basted, and serve on toast.
_Time_.--About 20 minutes. _Average cost_.--Seldom bought.
_Sufficient_ 2 for a dish.
_Seasonable_ from October to December.
[Ill.u.s.tration: THE QUAIL.]
THE QUAIL.--Quails are almost universally diffused over Europe, Asia, and Africa. Being birds of pa.s.sage, they are seen in immense flocks, traversing the Mediterranean Sea from Europe to Africa, in the autumn, and returning again in the spring, frequently alighting in their pa.s.sage on many of the islands of the Archipelago, which, with their vast numbers, they almost completely cover. On the western coasts of the kingdom of Naples, they have appeared in such prodigious numbers, that, within the compa.s.s of four or five miles, as many as a hundred thousand have been taken in a day. ”From these circ.u.mstances,”
says a writer on natural history, ”it appears highly probable that the quails which supplied the Israelites with food during their journey through the wilderness, were sent thither, on their pa.s.sage to the north, by a wind from the south-west, sweeping over Egypt and Ethiopia towards the sh.o.r.es of the Red Sea.” In England they are not very numerous, although they breed in it; and many of them are said to remain throughout the year, changing their quarters from the interior parts of the country for the seacoast.
TO DRESS SNIPES.
1047. INGREDIENTS.--Snipes, b.u.t.ter, flour, toast.
_Mode_.--These, like woodc.o.c.ks, should be dressed without being drawn.
Pluck, and wipe them outside, and truss them with the head under the wing, having previously skinned that and the neck. Twist the legs at the first joint, press the feet upon the thighs, and pa.s.s a skewer through these and the body. Place four on a skewer, tie them on to the jack or spit, and roast before a clear fire for about 1/4 hour. Put some pieces of b.u.t.tered toast into the dripping-pan to catch the trails; flour and froth the birds nicely, dish the pieces of toast with the snipes on them, and pour round, but not over them, a little good brown gravy. They should be sent to table very hot and expeditiously, or they will not be worth eating.--See coloured plate M1.
[Ill.u.s.tration: ROAST SNIPE.]
_Time_.--About 1/4 hour. _Average cost_, 1s. 6d. to 2s. the brace.
_Sufficient_,--4 for a dish.
_Seasonable_ from November to February.
_Note_.--Ortolans are trussed and dressed in the same manner.
[Ill.u.s.tration: THE SNIPE.]
THE SNIPE.--This is a migratory bird, and is generally distributed over Europe. It is found in most parts of England, in the high as well as the low lands, depending much on the weather. In very wet seasons it resorts to the hills, but at other times frequents marshes, where it can penetrate the earth with its bill, hunting for worms, which form its princ.i.p.al food.
In the Hebrides and the Orkneys snipes are plentiful, and they are fattest in frosty weather. In the breeding season the snipe changes its note entirely from that which it has in the winter.
The male will keep on wing for an hour together, mounting like a lark, and uttering a shrill piping noise; then, with a bleating sound, not unlike that made by an old goat, it will descend with great velocity, especially if the female be sitting in her nest, from which it will not wander far.
ROAST TEAL.
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