paste of each pie and its cover together with the thumb
and finger, and lastly, nick the edge all round with the back of a
knife, and bake them an hour and a half.

[OBSERVATION IS THE BEST TEACHER.]

1233. Wild Duck, To Dress.

The birds are roasted like common ducks, but without stuffing, and
with a rather less allowance of time for cooking. For example, a
full-sized duck will take from three-quarters of an hour to an hour in
roasting, but a wild duck will take from forty to fifty minutes.
Before carving the knife should be drawn longitudinally along the
breast, and upon these a little cayenne pepper must be sprinkled, and
a lemon squeezed. They require a good made gravy, as described below.
They are excellent half roasted and hashed in a good gravy made as
follows:

1234. Sauce for Wild Duck.

Simmer a teacupful of port wine, the same quantity of good gravy, a
small shalot, with pepper, nutmeg, mace, and salt to taste, for about
ten minutes; put in a bit of butter and flour; give it all one boil,
and pour it over the birds, or serve in a sauce tureen.

1235. Widgeon and Teal, To Dress.

These birds may be roasted or half roasted and baked, according to the
directions given for wild duck, and served up with, a sauce or gravy
made in precisely the same way. A widgeon will take as long to roast
as a wild duck, but a teal, being a smaller bird, will take only from
twenty to thirty minutes.

1236. Roast Duck.

Put into the body of the bird a seasoning of parboiled onions mixed
with finely-chopped sage, salt, pepper, and a slice of butter. Place
it before a brisk fire, but not sufficiently near to be scorched;
baste it constantly, and when the breast is well plumped, and the
steam from it draws towards the fire, dish and serve it quickly, with
a little good brown gravy poured round them, and also some in a gravy
tureen. Young ducks will take about half an hour to roast; full-sized
ones from three-quarters of an hour to an hour.

1237 Roast Partridge.

Let the bird hang as long as it can be kept without being offensive.
Pick it carefully, and singe it; wipe the inside thoroughly with a
clean cloth, truss it with the head turned under the wing and the legs
drawn close together, but not crossed. Flour partridges prepared in
this manner when first laid to the fire, and baste them plentifully
with