Miss Corson's practical American cookery and household management

either roasted on a spit before the fire, or baked in the oven. When the birds are cooked, remove the strings used to confine the pork, and serve them on any green salad, or on toast. ROAST QUAIL. To prepare this dish successfully, a clear, hot, open fire is best ; but, in default, a very hot oven will finish them. Pluck, singe, and draw the birds, wipe them with a wet towel, and cut off the heads and feet ; wrap each bird in a slice of fat salt pork, and pack them closely in a saucepan just large enough to hold them; season them highly with salt and cayenne, pour over them just enough boiling water to cover them, put the cover on the saucepan, and place it over a hot fire for five or ten minutes; then take up the quail, remove the pork, wipe the birds on a clean towel, rub them all over with butter, and roast them brown before a very hot fire, or in a hot oven, basting them twice with more butter and the drippings from them. Meantime, strain the gravy in which they were stewed, and melt with it an equal quantity of currant-jelly for sauce, or use cold currant-jelly with them. Serve the birds hot directly they are brown. BAKED QUAIL. After quail are dressed, put them into a pan large enough to hold them, dust them over with flour, season them with salt and pepper, put a little butter on each one, and bake them for about twenty minutes ; when the quail are brown, take them up, and keep them hot ; put the dripping-pan in which they were baked over the fire, stir in a teaspoonful of flour and about half a pint of water ; let the gravy thus made boil for a moment, and then serve it with the quail. BROILED CANVAS-BACK DUCK. Pluck, singe, and wipe the duck ; split it down the back, and remove the intestines ; put it between the bars of a buttered double gridiron, and broil it over a hot fire, leaving the inside turned to the fire for twelve minutes ; then turn the skin to the fire just long enough to brown it ; season the duck with salt and pepper, and serve it at once. The assertion that canvas-back ducks owe their delicious flavor to the wild celery upon which they feed, is open to question. The writer has eaten ducks killed in the marshes of the great Western lakes, and in the far North-western territories, in localities where there are no beds of wild celery growing ; and the flavor of the birds quite equalled that of those bagged at Havre de Grace. The flavor of the birds is best preserved by cooking them quickly by an intense fire, and serving them on very hot plates. The usual garnishes are currant-jelly, fried hominy, or celery. Sometimes a mayonnaise dressing is served with the celery. A recipe for this dressing is given elsewhere. The best canvas-back ducks are those which are heavy in proportion to their size, and have full bright eyes, and soft pliable feet. The birds deteriorate with long keeping ; they should not be drawn until just before using them, and should never be washed. The more quickly they are cooked, the finer they will be ; and the hot platter for serving, and hot plates, should always be ready before the ducks are done. The ducks should never be overdone. ROAST CANVAS-BACK DUCK.