Mind your duck is well cleaned, and then wipe it out with a clean cloth; then take an ounce of onion, and half an ounce of green sage, chop them very fine, and mix them with two ounces, i. e. about a teacupful of bread crumbs, a little pepper and salt, and (he yolk of an egg to bind it; mix these thoroughly together, and put it in the duck. For another stuffing, see No. 388. Thirty or forty minutes will be enough to roast it, according to the size: contrive to have the feet crisp, as some people are very fond of them: to do this, you must have a very sharp fire.

N. B. If you think the raw onion will make too strong an impression upon your palate, parboil it.

Duck

For the following observations I am indebted to Major Hawker's entertaining and informing work, "Instructions for Young Sportsmen," London, 1816.

"Old pheasants may be distinguished by the length and sharpness of their spurs, which in the younger ones are short and blunt,

"Old partridges are always to be known during the early part of the season, by their legs being of a pale blue, instead of a yellowish brown: so that when a Londoner receives his brace of blue legged birds in September, he should immediately snap their legs, and draw out the sinews, by means of pulling off the feet, instead of leaving them to torment him, like so many strings, when he would be wishing to enjoy his repast. This remedy to make the legs tender, removes the objection to old birds, provided the weather will admit of their being sufficiently kept; and indeed they are then often preferable, from having a higher flavour.

"If birds are over-kept, their legs will be dry, their eyes much sunk, and the vent will become soft, and somewhat discoloured. The first place to ascertain if they are beginning to be high, is the inside of their bills, where it is not amiss to put some hether straw, or spice, if you want to keep them for any length of time. Birds that have fallen into the water, or have not had time to get cold, should not be packed like others, but sent openly, and dressed as soon as possible. Sportsmen are often heartily abused by their acquaintance, (I cannot yet bring myself to hackney the word friends quite so fluently as I ought to do,) for sending them 'tough and good-for-nothing game,' while all the blame should, in many instances, rest with themselves, or their pudding-headed cook, who may be dresses an old pheasant or hare the very day after it was killed; or perhaps, while engrossed in a story or argument, leaves it to roast away, till there remains neither juice nor flavour. All game should be kept till properly tender. The following sauce for wild fowl has been preferred to about fifty others; and, at one time, was not to be got without the fee of a guinea:

Wild Ducks

For roasting a wild duck, you must have a clear brisk fire; for it must be browned upon the outside, without being sodden within. To have it well frothed and full of gravy is the nicety. Prepare the fire by stirring and raking just before it is laid down, and fifteen or twenty minutes will do it. This is the fashionable way; but if it is required a little more done, allow it a few minutes more: if it is too much, it will lose all its fine high flavour.

For the sauce, see No. 338.