This is the best and most delicious of the various matters with which man furnishes himself as food; although containing but little nourishment, it gives a delightful variety to our repasts: from the sparrow to the turkey, we find everywhere, in this numerous class, that which gives a meal equally as good for the invalid as the robust.

Increasing every day in luxuries, we have arrived at a point unknown even to Lucullus; we are not contented with the beautiful qualities which Nature gives this species, but, under pretence of improving them, we not only deprive them of their liberty by keeping them in solitude and in darkness, but force them to eat their food, and thus bring them to a degree of fatness which Nature never intended. Even the bird which saved the capitol of Rome is treated with still greater indignity, - thrust into warm ovens and nearly baked alive to produce those beautiful and delicious livers so well known to gourmets.*

The best way of killing poultry is to take the bird by the neck, plac ing the thumb of the right hand just at the back of the head, closing the head in your hand, your left hand holding the bird, then press your thumb down hard and pull the head and neck contrariwise; the neck will break instantaneously, and the bird will be quite dead in a few seconds, then hang it a short time by the legs for the blood to flow into the head, which renders the flesh much whiter. In France they are usually killed by cutting the throat close to the head; both methods are good with regard to the whiteness of the flesh, but I prefer the English method, not being so barbarous.

* Foie gras de Strasbourg.

To pluck either game or poultry have the bird upon a board with its head towards you, and pull the feathers away from you, which is the direction they lie in; many persons pull out the feathers in a contrary direction, by which means they are likely to tear the skin to pieces, winch would very much disfigure the bird for the table.

To draw poultry after it is well plucked, cut a long incision at the back of the neck, then take out the thin skin from under the outer with the crop, cut the neck bone off close to the body of the bird, but leave the skin a good length, make an incision under the tail just large enough for the gizzard to pass through, no larger; then put your finger into the bird at the breast and detach all the intestines, take care not to break the gall-bladder, squeeze the body of the bird and force out the whole from the incision at the tail; it is then ready for trussing, the method of doing which will be given in the various Receipts throughout this series. The above method of drawing poultry is equally applicable to game.