To preserve the fat, make a paste of flour and water, as much as will cover the haunch; wipe it with a dry cloth in every part; rub a large sheet of paper all over with butter, and cover the venison with it; then roll out the paste about three-quarters of an inch thick. Lay this all over the fat side, cover it with three or four sheets of strong white paper, and tie it securely on with packthread; have a strong close fire, and baste your venison as soon as you lay it down to roast (to prevent the paper and string from burning;) it must be well basted all the time. A buck haunch which generally weighs from twenty to twenty-five pounds, will take about four hours and a half roasting in warm, and longer in cold, weather. A naunch of from twelve to eighteen pounds will be done in about three nours, or three hours and a half. A quarter of an hour before it is done, the string must be cut, and the paste carefully taken off; now baste it with butter, dredge it lightly with flour, and when the froth rises, and it has got a very light-brown colour, it is done. Garnish the knuckle bone with a ruffle of cut writing paper, and send it up with good strong (but unseasoned) gravy in one boat, and currant jelly sauce in the other, or currant jelly in a side plate (not melted.) See for Sauces, 137, 138, 139. Buck venison is in greatest perfection from Midsummer to Michaelmas, and doe from November to January. Neck and Shoulder of venison are to be treated the same way as the haunch, but they will not take so much time, nor do they need the paste covering.

254. A Fawm should be dressed as soon after it is killed as possible; when very young, it is dressed the same as a hare; but they are better eating when the size of the house lamb, or when they are large enough to be roasted in quarters. The hind-quarter is considered the best. Fawns require a very quick fire. They are so delicate that they must be constantly basted, or be covered with sheets of fat bacon; when nearly done, remove the bacon, baste it with butter, and froth it. Serve with venison sauce.

255. A Kid is very good eating when a suckling, and when the dam is in fine condition. Roast, and serve it like a fawn or hare.

256. Hare when young is easy of digestion, and very nourishing - when old, the contrary, unless rendered so by keeping and dressing. When you receive a hare, take out the liver - if it be sweet, parboil it, and keep it for stuffing. Wipe the hare quite dry; rub the inside with pepper, and hang it in a cool place till it is fit to be dressed, that is to say, till it comes to the point of putrefaction, but not putrefied. Then paunch and skin, wash and lay it in a large pan of cold water four or five hours, changing the water two or three times; lay it in a clean cloth; dry it well, and truss. To make the stuffing, see 272. Let it be stiff; put it in the belly, and sew it up tightly. The skin must be cut to let the blood out of the neck. Some persons baste it with skimmed milk, but we decidedly prefer dripping; it ought to be constantly basted till it is nearly done; then put a little bit of butter into your basting ladle; flour and froth nicely. Serve with good gravy and currant jelly. Cold roast hare, chopped to pieces, and stewed in water for a couple of hours, will make excellent soup.

257. Rabbit - Put it down to a sharp clear fire; dredge it lightly and carefully with flour; take care to have it frothy and of a fine light brown; boil the liver with parsley while the rabbit is roasting; when tender, chop them together; put half the mixture into melted butter, use the other half for garnish, divided into little hillocks. Cut off the head, divide it, and lay half on each side the dish. A fine well-grown and well-hung warren rabbit, dressed as a hare, will eat very much like it.

258. A Pheasant should have a smart fire, but not a fierce one; baste it, butter and froth it, and prepare sauce for it. Some persons, the pheasant being a dry bird, put a piece of beef or rump steak into the inside before roasting. It is said that a pheasant should be suspended by one of the long tail feathers till it falls. It is then ripe and ready for the spit, and not before. If a fowl be well kept, and dressed as a pheasant, and with a pheasant, few persons will discover the pheasant from the fowl.

259. Guinea Fowls, Partridges, Pea Fowls, Blackcock, Grouse, and Moor game, are dressed in the same way as pheasants. Partridges are sent up with rice sauce, or bread sauce, and good gravy. Blackcock, moorgame, and grouse, are sent up with currant jelly and fried bread crumbs.

260. Wild Ducks, Widgeon, and Teal, are dressed before a clear fire, and on a hot spit. Wild ducks will require fifteen or twenty minutes to do them in the fashionable way, but to do them well will require a few minutes Linger. Widgeon and teal, being smaller birds, of course will require less time.

261. Woodcocks and Snipes are never drawn; they should be tied on a small bird spit, and put to roast at a clear fire; a slice of bread is put under each bird, to catch the trail, that is the excrements of the intestines; they are considered delightful eating; baste with butter, and froth with flour; lay the toast on a hot dish, and the birds on the toast; pour some good gravy into the dish, and send some up in a boat. They are generally roasted from twenty to thirty minutes - but some epicures say, that a woodcock should be just introduced to the cook, for her to show it the fire, and then send it up to table. Garnish with slices of lemon. Snipes are dressed in the same way, but require less time.

262. Pigeons, when stuffed, require some green parsley to be chopped very fine with the liver and a bit of butter, seasoned with a little pepper and salt; or they may be stuffed with the same as a fillet of veal. Fill the belly of each bird with either of these compositions. They will roast in about twenty or thirty minutes. Serve with parsley and butter, with a dish under them, with some in a boat. Garnish with crisp parsley, fried bread crumbs, bread sauce, or gravy.