Snipes

Differ little from woodcocks, unless in size: they are to be dressed in the same way; only they are, according to their smaller size, done in from five to ten minutes less time.

Roast Pigeons

When the pigeons arc trussed for roasting, chop a handful of green parsley very fine, season it with a little pepper and salt, and fill the belly of each bird with this mixture. Roast them at a hot clear fire, they will be enough in about fifteen, or twenty minutes: send up parsley and butter in the dish under them, and some in a boat.

Observations

If the pigeons are fresh, they will this way have their full relish, for there is no bird has a finer flavour, but it goes entirely off with a very little keeping; nor is it ever so well preserved as by roasting: a little melted butter may be put into the dish with them, and the gravy that runs from them will mix with it into fine sauce. Pigeons are in their greatest perfection in September, as there then is the most plentiful and best food for them; and the finest growth for them is just when they are full feathered. When they are in the pen-feathers they are flabby; when they are full grown and have flown some time, they' are hard; just at the period of their growth, when they are at perfection, and have had no time to harden, they are best; their juices are then in full perfection, and the flesh in all its delicacy.

This was the secret of Solomon, the famous pigeon-feeder of Turnham Green, who is celebrated by the poet Gay,

"That Turnham Green which dainty pigeons fed, But feeds no more, for Solomon is dead."

Pigeons On A Poor Man's Spit

Fill their bellies with parsley clean washed and chopped, the livers minced fine, grated bread and hard egg, an equal quantity of each, season it with a very little beaten mace or nutmeg, and pounded all together with the yolk of an egg; tie the neck end close, so that it cannot come out; put a skewer through the legs, and have a little iron on purpose with six hooks to it; on each hook hang a pigeon, fasten one end of a string to the chimney piece, and the other end to the iron (which is commonly called a poor man's spit,) flour them, and baste them with butter, turn them steadily and gently, and they will roast very nicely, and be full of gravy: garnish with crisp parsley.

Observations

This is by far the best way of roasting pigeons, as it preserves their gravy: when you roast them on a spit, much of the gravy runs out; if you stuff them and broil them whole, you cannot save the gravy so well, though they are very good with parsley and butter in the dish, or split and broiled with pepper and salt.

Larks, And Other Small Birds

These delicate little birds are in high season in November. When they are picked, gutted, and cleaned, truss them with a leaf of red sage to every lark between the joints of the legs; beat up the yolk of an egg, and with a feather egg the larks, and then sprinkle them well with bread crumbs; cut some thin slices of fat bacon about three inches long and an inch broad; lay the birds in a row, side by side, with a piece of bacon between every two larks; spit them on a lark spit, which tie on to a larger spit, having a slice of bacon on both the outrides of the larks; baste them well while they are roasting: for the sauce, fry some grated bread crisped in butter, and set it to drain before the fire that it may harden: serve the crumbs under the larks when you dish them, and garnish them with slices of lemon.

Wheat Ears

These birds are dressed in the same way as larks.

Lobster

See receipt for boiling, No. 176. We give no receipt for roasting lobster, being of opinion with Dr. King, that the pan as soon as the fat is melted; as less fat is wanted, it gets hot so much sooner, they would be burnt before they are done enough.

"By roasting that which our forefathers boiled, And boiling what they roasted, much is spoiled."