Chickens. — Lay the roasted chicken (of three to four pounds) on its side. Stick your fork into the leg and lift it up, meanwhile holding down firmly the rest of the chicken. Then cut through the joint on the back; pressing the joint between the leg and second joint, cut through. Stick your fork into the wing so as not to interfere with the knife; cut through the joint and loosen the meat surrounding it; pull down with the fork and press firmly on the carcass with the knife. If done carefully, you can pull all the meat from the breast with the wing. Then cut each breast, crosswise, In half. Turn around, and proceed as in the first operation. Turkey. — Cut away the leg the same as with a chicken. The leg of a turkey being larger than that of a chicken, it would be advisable to cut into slices the leg and second joint. After the leg is cut off, stick your fork into the breast-bone; hold the fork firmly with the left hand; then, with the sharp«knife in your right hand, starting from the outside of the breast, proceed to cut, carefully, thin slices, until you reach the bone. Then turn, and proceed the same as before. Serve each person with a piece of the dark and a slice of the white meat. Should the turkey be stuffed, place a little of the stuffing on each plate. A capon, large chicken, or English pheasant should be carved the same way. . Partridges. — In America only the breasts of the birds are generally eaten, the legs being strong and bitter. Stick your fork straight into the breast-bone; cut one slice from the outside breast; then cut close along- side of the breast-bone and around the wing, carefully pushing all the meat from off both breasts, one after the other. Grouse. — The grouse is generally carved the same way as the partridge. Canvas-back Duck.— The " King of Birds."— The breast only is carved, served, and eaten. Stick the fork straight and firmly into the middle of the breast-bone. Commence from the neck down to the back, straight to the back-bone, and around the back; then from the point of starting, around the collar-bone. Cut the joint from off the wing. Com- mence cutting again from the point of starting; carefully and gently carving off the whole breast, so that no meat remains. Proceed precisely the same with the other side. When finished, there will remain only the 394 THE TABLE. Red-head, black-head, mallard, teal, &c. , are carved the same as the canvas-back. Tame duck, duckling, goose, &c., are carved as a chicken, unless they are over four or five pounds, then they should be carved the same as a turkey or a capon. For small birds, such as squab, snipe, plover, woodcock, &c., no carv- ing is necessary, as they are generally served whole. Saddle of Mutton, Lamb, or Venison should always be carved — especially for private families — lengthwise first, on both sides of the spinal bone, then crosswise downward. Special care should be taken to stick the fork right in the centre of the saddle, and holding it firmly while carv- ing with a very sharp knife, and keeping as near the bone as possible, till down to the end on both sides. When all detached, cut it crosswise into small pieces of about half or three-quarters of an inch thick, and serve. Steak. — Sirloin steak can be carved in various ways — crosswise, lengthwise, in small or large pieces, as desired.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

Chickens. — Lay the roasted chicken (of three to four pounds) on its side. Stick your fork into the leg and lift it up, meanwhile holding down firmly the rest of the chicken. Then cut through the joint on the back; pressing the joint between the leg and second joint, cut through. Stick your fork into the wing so as not to interfere with the knife; cut through the joint and loosen the meat surrounding it; pull down with the fork and press firmly on the carcass with the knife. If done carefully, you can pull all the meat from the breast with the wing. Then cut each breast, crosswise, In half. Turn around, and proceed as in the first operation. Turkey. — Cut away the leg the same as with a chicken. The leg of a turkey being larger than that of a chicken, it would be advisable to cut into slices the leg and second joint. After the leg is cut off, stick your fork into the breast-bone; hold the fork firmly with the left hand; then, with the sharp knife in your right hand, starting from the outside of the breast, proceed to cut, carefully, thin slices, until you reach the bone. Then turn, and proceed the same as before. Serve each person with a piece of the dark and a slice of the white meat. Should the turkey be stuffed, place a little of the stuffing on each plate. A capon, large chicken, or English pheasant should be carved the same way. . Partridges. — In America only the breasts of the birds are generally eaten, the legs being strong and bitter. Stick your fork straight into the breast-bone; cut one slice from the outside breast; then cut close alongside of the breast-bone and around the wing, carefully pushing all the meat from off both breasts, one after the other. Grouse. — The grouse is generally carved the same way as the partridge. Canvas-back Duck.— The " King of Birds."— The breast only is carved, served, and eaten. Stick the fork straight and firmly into the middle of the breast-bone. Commence from the neck down to the back, straight to the back-bone, and around the back; then from the point of starting, around the collar-bone. Cut the joint from off the wing. Commence cutting again from the point of starting; carefully and gently carving off the whole breast, so that no meat remains. Proceed precisely the same with the other side. When finished, there will remain only the Red-head, black-head, mallard, teal, &c. , are carved the same as the canvas-back. Tame duck, duckling, goose, &c., are carved as a chicken, unless they are over four or five pounds, then they should be carved the same as a turkey or a capon. For small birds, such as squab, snipe, plover, woodcock, &c., no carving is necessary, as they are generally served whole. Saddle of Mutton, Lamb, or Venison should always be carved — especially for private families — lengthwise first, on both sides of the spinal bone, then crosswise downward. Special care should be taken to stick the fork right in the centre of the saddle, and holding it firmly while carving with a very sharp knife, and keeping as near the bone as possible, till down to the end on both sides. When all detached, cut it crosswise into small pieces of about half or three-quarters of an inch thick, and serve. Steak. — Sirloin steak can be carved in various ways — crosswise, lengthwise, in small or large pieces, as desired.

The table