Easter morning would be incomplete, for the children at least, without the brightly colored eggs typical of the day. There are many ways of coloring the eggs, the easiest being the boiling of them with various colored dyes sold in small packages at the chemists'. An old-fashioned method was to tie each egg in a piece of figured chintz or calico, which would leave its imprint on the egg after it was exposed to the action of boiling water. Another good way to produce a variegated reddish-purple color was to boil with the eggs the skins of red onions. To color the eggs with original designs, a provincial method was to trace figures upon the shells of raw eggs with a bit of hard tallow candle, thus covering the part of the shell which was desired white, and then to put the eggs in boiling dye-water. Sometimes the eggs are entirely dyed, and then designs are engraved upon them with a sharp knife or a strong trussing or darning needle. When the prepared dye-stuffs are not available, varied colors may be produced by using the following- named chemicals, boiling a small quantity with the eggs : Red, Brazil wood ; yellow, Persian berries, or a very little tumeric ; brown, a strong dye of tumeric ; claret color, log- wood ; black, logwood and chromate of potash ; blue, a mixture of powdered indigo, crystals of sulphate of iron. HELISffES {ffORS-D'CEUP'RES). 2S3 and a little dry slacked lime. The eggs should always be boiled for ten minutes at least. HARD-BOILED EGGS. Put half a dozen eggs✪ Hard-Boiled Eggs over the fire in cold water, let the water heat, and boil the eggs for ten minutes after the water begins to boil ; then put them for a moment into a bowl of cold water so that they can be handled ; break the shell in every direction by tapping the eggs upon the table, and then peel it off. TURKEY. GEESE. AND DUCK EGGS. Put the eggs into a bowl filled with boiling water for five minutes, keeping the bowl covered tight and in a hot place ; then pour off the first water, replace it with more boiling water, and let them stand for five minutes longer; serve them like ordinary boiled eggs ; or, actually boil the eggs for five minutes : either of these methods will cook the eggs medium hard. From ten to fifteen minutes boiling will cook the eggs hard, according to their size. Duck eggs will cook in less time than turkey or goose eggs. STEAMED EGGS. Break in separate cups as many eggs as are required to cover the bottom of a shallow dish the size of the steamer. Butter the dish, slip the eggs on it ; put a small bit of butter and a little salt✪ Steamed Eggs and pepper on each, and set the dish in the steamer for three minutes or longer, until the eggs are cooked to the required degree. A colander set over a kettle of boiling water will serve for steaming the eggs if it can be closely covered. BROILED EGGS. Make as many small slices of toast as there are eggs, lay them on a platter, butter them, and on each one put an 254 FRACTJCAL AMERICAN COOKERY. egg, first broken into a cup; set the dish before the fire where the heat will strike the eggs, and let them cook to the required degree ; when the eggs are done, squeeze over them the juice of a sour orange, season them lightly with salt✪ Broiled Eggs and cayenne, and serve them hot. SHIRRED EGGS.

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Easter morning would be incomplete, for the children at least, without the brightly colored eggs typical of the day. There are many ways of coloring the eggs, the easiest being the boiling of them with various colored dyes sold in small packages at the chemists'. An old-fashioned method was to tie each egg in a piece of figured chintz or calico, which would leave its imprint on the egg after it was exposed to the action of boiling water. Another good way to produce a variegated reddish-purple color was to boil with the eggs the skins of red onions. To color the eggs with original designs, a provincial method was to trace figures upon the shells of raw eggs with a bit of hard tallow candle, thus covering the part of the shell which was desired white, and then to put the eggs in boiling dye-water. Sometimes the eggs are entirely dyed, and then designs are engraved upon them with a sharp knife or a strong trussing or darning needle. When the prepared dye-stuffs are not available, varied colors may be produced by using the following- named chemicals, boiling a small quantity with the eggs : Red, Brazil wood ; yellow, Persian berries, or a very little tumeric ; brown, a strong dye of tumeric ; claret color, log- wood ; black, logwood and chromate of potash ; blue, a mixture of powdered indigo, crystals of sulphate of iron. HELISffES {ffORS-D'CEUP'RES). 2S3 and a little dry slacked lime. The eggs should always be boiled for ten minutes at least. HARD-BOILED EGGS. Put half a dozen eggs over the fire in cold water, let the water heat, and boil the eggs for ten minutes after the water begins to boil ; then put them for a moment into a bowl of cold water so that they can be handled ; break the shell in every direction by tapping the eggs upon the table, and then peel it off. TURKEY. GEESE. AND DUCK EGGS. Put the eggs into a bowl filled with boiling water for five minutes, keeping the bowl covered tight and in a hot place ; then pour off the first water, replace it with more boiling water, and let them stand for five minutes longer; serve them like ordinary boiled eggs ; or, actually boil the eggs for five minutes : either of these methods will cook the eggs medium hard. From ten to fifteen minutes boiling will cook the eggs hard, according to their size. Duck eggs will cook in less time than turkey or goose eggs. STEAMED EGGS. Break in separate cups as many eggs as are required to cover the bottom of a shallow dish the size of the steamer. Butter the dish, slip the eggs on it ; put a small bit of butter and a little salt and pepper on each, and set the dish in the steamer for three minutes or longer, until the eggs are cooked to the required degree. A colander set over a kettle of boiling water will serve for steaming the eggs if it can be closely covered. BROILED EGGS. Make as many small slices of toast as there are eggs, lay them on a platter, butter them, and on each one put an 254 FRACTJCAL AMERICAN COOKERY. egg, first broken into a cup; set the dish before the fire where the heat will strike the eggs, and let them cook to the required degree ; when the eggs are done, squeeze over them the juice of a sour orange, season them lightly with salt and cayenne, and serve them hot. SHIRRED EGGS.

Miss Corson's practical American cookery and household management