Sam Ward, during his reign at Washington as king of the Lobby, used to delight in treating epicurean foreigners to a thoroughly American dinner. His bill of fare was iced clams, fish chowder, stewed terrapin, canvas-back ducks, oysters on the half shell, hominy and Albany celery, with Chateau Yquem, dry champagne, and old madeira from the Gadsby stock. In purchasing terrapin, Mr. Ward would turn with disdain from the yellow-bills and the sliders, and purchase the diamond backs at twenty-five dollars a dozen. Having sent them to Welcher's, he would go into the kitchen and superintend their preparation after the following formula: Immerse the terrapin in pure spring water, boiling hot, for five minutes, to loosen the skin. The skin is then removed with a knife, thoroughly polished first to free it from any foreign substance, with a piece of chamois leather. Then replace the terrapin in the boiling water, the temperature of which should be regulated by a thermometer. When the claws become so soft as to pinch into a pulp by a moderate pressure between the thumb and forefinger it is sufficiently boiled. Take them out and remove the bottom shell first, as the convexity of the upper shell catches the rich and savory juices which distinguish the terrapin from the mudturtle and the slider. Cut off the head and claws and carefully remove the gall and sand bag. A little of the gall does not impair the flavor of the terrapin, but the sand bag requires the skilful touch of a surgeon, and the heart of a lion, the eye of an eagle and the hand of a lady. Cut up the remainder into pieces about a half an inch in length. Be careful to preserve all the juice. Put in a chafing dish and add a dressing of fine flour, the yolk of eggs boiled so hard that they are mushy, quantum sufficit of butter fresh from the dairy, salt to taste, red pepper, a large wineglass of very old Madeira (to each terrapin) and a small quantity of rich cream. The dish, like everything else fit to eat, except Roman punch and Stilton cheese, should be served smoking hot; some persons have been known to season with spices, but this, like the rank perfume which exhales from the handkerchief of under-bred people, is apt to arouse suspicion. Terrapin should be eaten only at night and then only by very honest men. To slightly paraphrase Dr. Boteler: "A better shell fish than the terrapin might have been made, but one never was made." - "Perley" in Boston Budget.

Efforts rather to preserve terrapins than to propagate them have not yet been very successful. Terrapins may be kept in an enclosure from Summer to Winter, but it is at the sacrifice of their delicacy as food, penned terrapins losing their fine flavor and becoming , tough and stringy. Some years ago a discovery was made as to a new method of feeding terrapins. In Washington, where some terrapins had been put in a pond, a neighboring field of clover had been cut. Some of the clover having fallen from the scythe into the pond, the terrapins were seen to eat it with the same avidity as would a cow.