brown gravy.

_Mode_.--Procure 3 young pheasants that have been hung a few days;
pluck, draw, and wipe them inside; cut them into joints; remove the
bones from the best of these; and the backbones, trimmings, &c., put
into a stewpan, with a little stock, herbs, vegetables, seasoning, &c.,
to make the gravy. Flatten and trim the cutlets of a good shape, egg and
bread crumb them, broil them over a clear fire, pile them high in the
dish, and pour under them the gravy made from the bones, which should be
strained, flavoured, and thickened. One of the small bones should be
stuck on the point of each cutlet.

_Time_.--10 minutes. _Average cost_, 2s. 6d. to 3s. each.

_Sufficient_ for 2 entrees.

_Seasonable_ from the 1st of October to the beginning of February.

ROAST PHEASANT.

1041. INGREDIENTS.--Pheasant, flour, butter.

_Choosing and Trussing_.--Old pheasants may be known by the length and
sharpness of their spurs; in young ones they are short and blunt. The
cock bird is generally reckoned the best, except when the hen is with
egg. They should hang some time before they are dressed, as, if they are
cooked fresh, the flesh will be exceedingly dry and tasteless. After the
bird is plucked and drawn, wipe the inside with a damp cloth, and truss
it in the same manner as partridge, No. 1039. If the head is left on, as
shown in the engraving, bring it round under the wing, and fix it on to
the point of the skewer.

[Illustration: ROAST PHEASANT.]

_Mode_.--Roast it before a brisk fire, keep it well basted, and flour
and froth it nicely. Serve with brown gravy, a little of which should be
poured round the bird, and a tureen of bread sauce. 2 or 3 of the
pheasant's best tail-feathers are sometimes stuck in the tail as an
ornament; but the fashion is not much to be commended.--See coloured
plate, F1.

_Time_.--1/2 to 1 hour, according to the size.

_Average cost_, 2s. 6d. to 3s. each. _Sufficient_,--1 for a dish.

_Seasonable_ from the 1st of October to the beginning of February.

[Illustration: THE PHEASANT.]

THE PHEASANT.--This beautiful bird is said to have been
discovered by the Argonauts on the banks of the Phasis, near
Mount Ararat, in their expedition to Colchis. It is common,
however, in almost all the southern parts of the European
continent, and has been long naturalized in the warmest and most
woody counties of England. It is very common in France; indeed,
so common as to