The Book of Household Management - Mrs. Isabella Beeton

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DUCK'S EGGS.--The ancient notion that ducks whose beaks have a
tendency to curve upwards, are better layers than those whose
beaks do not thus point, is, we need hardly say, simply absurd:
all ducks are good layers, if they are carefully fed and tended.
Ducks generally lay at night, or early in the morning. While
they are in perfect health, they will do this; and one of the
surest signs of indisposition, among birds of this class, is
irregularity in laying. The eggs laid will approach nearly the
colour of the layer,--light-coloured ducks laying white eggs,
and brown ducks greenish-blue eggs; dark-coloured birds laying
the largest eggs. One time of day the notion was prevalent that
a duck would hatch no other eggs than her own; and although this
is not true, it will be, nevertheless, as well to match the
duck's own eggs as closely as possible; for we have known
instances wherein the duck has turned out of the nest and
destroyed eggs differing from her own in size and colour.

DUCKS.--The Mallard, or Wild Duck, from which is derived the
domestic species, is prevalent throughout Europe, Asia, and
America. The mallard's most remarkable characteristic is one
which sets at defiance the speculations of the most profound
ornithologist. The female bird is extremely plain, but the
male's plumage is a splendour of greens and browns, and browns
and blues. In the spring, however, the plumage of the male
begins to fade, and in two months, every vestige of his finery
has departed, and he is not to be distinguished from his
soberly-garbed wife. Then the greens, and the blues, and the
browns begin to bud out again, and by October he is once more a
gorgeous drake. It is to be regretted that domestication has
seriously deteriorated the moral character of the duck. In a
wild state, he is a faithful husband, desiring but one wife, and
devoting himself to her; but no sooner is he domesticated than
he becomes polygamous, and makes nothing of owning ten or a
dozen wives at a time. As regards the females, they are much
more solicitous for the welfare of their progeny in a wild state
than a tame. Should a tame duck's duckling get into mortal
trouble, its mother will just signify her sorrow by an extra
"quack," or so, and a flapping of her wings; but touch a wild
duck's little one if you dare! she will buffet you with her
broad wings, and dash boldly at your face with her stout beak.
If you search for her nest amongst the long grass, she will try
no end of manoeuvres to lure you from it, her favourite _ruse_
being to pretend lameness, to delude you into the notion that
you have only to pursue _her_ vigorously, and her capture is
certain; so you persevere for half a mile or so, and then she is
up and away, leaving you to find your way back to the nest if
you can. Among the ancients, opinion was at variance respecting
the wholesomeness and digestibility of goose flesh, but
concerning the excellence of the duck all parties were agreed;
indeed, they not only assigned to duck-meat the palm for
exquisite flavour and delicacy, they even attributed to it
medicinal powers of the highest order. Not only the Roman
medical writers of the time make mention of it, but likewise the
philosophers of the period. Plutarch assures us that Cato
preserved his whole household in health, in a season when plague
and disease were rife, through dieting them on roast duck.

STEWED DUCK AND PEAS (Cold Meat Cookery).

935. INGREDIENTS.--The remains of cold roast duck, 2 oz. of butter, 3 or
4 slices of lean ham or bacon, 1 tablespoonful of flour, 2 pints of thin
gravy, 1, or a small bunch of green onions, 3 sprigs of parsley, 3
cloves, 1 pint of young green peas, cayenne and salt to taste, 1
teaspoonful of pounded sugar.

_Mode_.--Put the butter into a stewpan; cut up the duck into joints, lay
them in with the slices of lean ham or bacon; make it brown, then dredge
in a tablespoonful of flour, and stir this well in before adding the
gravy. Put in the onion, parsley, cloves, and gravy, and when it has
simmered for 1/4 hour, add a pint of young green peas, and stew gently
for about 1/2 hour. Season with cayenne, salt, and sugar; take out the
duck, place it round the dish, and the peas in the middle.

_Time_.--3/4 hour.

_Average cost_, exclusive of the cold duck, 1s.

_Seasonable_ from June to August.

DUCKS HATCHING.--Concerning incubation by ducks, a practised
writer says, "The duck requires a secret and safe place, rather
than any attendance, and will, at nature's call, cover her eggs
and seek her food. On hatching, there is not often a necessity
for taking away any of the brood; and, having hatched, let the
mother retain her young ones upon the nest her own time. On her
moving with her brood, let a coop be prepared upon the short
grass, if the weather be fine, and under shelter, if otherwise."

COOPING AND FEEDING DUCKLINGS.--Brood ducks should be cooped at
some distance from any other. A wide and flat dish of water, to
be often renewed, should stand just outside the coop, and
barley, or any other meal, be the first food of the ducklings.
It will be needful, if it be wet weather, to clip their tails,
lest these draggle, and so weaken the bird. The period of the
duck's confinement to the coop will depend on the weather, and
on the strength of the ducklings. A fortnight is usually the
extent of time necessary, and they may even be sometimes
permitted to enjoy the luxury of a swim at the end of a week.
They should not, however, be allowed to stay too long in the
water at first; for they will then become ill, their feathers
get rough, and looseness of the bowels ensue. In the latter
case, let them be closely cooped for a few days, and bean-meal
or oatmeal be mixed with their ordinary food.

[Illustration: AYLESBURY DUCKS.]

THE AYLESBURY DUCK.--The white Aylesbury duck is, and
deservedly, a universal favourite. Its snowy plumage and
comfortable comportment make it a credit to the poultry-yard,
while its broad and deep breast, and its ample back, convey the
assurance that your satisfaction will not cease at its death. In
parts of Buckinghamshire, this member of the duck family is bred
on an extensive scale; not on plains and commons, however, as
might be naturally imagined, but in the abodes of the cottagers.
Round the walls of the living-rooms, and of the bedroom even,
are fixed rows of wooden boxes, lined with hay; and it is the
business of the wife and children to nurse and comfort the
feathered lodgers, to feed the little ducklings, and to take the
old ones out for an airing. Sometimes the "stock" ducks are the
cottager's own property, but it more frequently happens that
they are intrusted to his care by a wholesale breeder, who pays
him so much _per_ score for all ducklings properly raised. To be
perfect, the Aylesbury duck should be plump, pure white, with
yellow feet, and a flesh-coloured beak.

STEWED DUCK AND PEAS (Cold Meat Cookery).

936. INGREDIENTS.--The remains of cold roast duck, 1/2 pint of good
gravy, cayenne and salt to taste, 1/2 teaspoonful of minced lemon-peel,
1 teaspoonful of pounded sugar, 2 oz, of butter rolled in flour, 1-1/2
pint of green peas.

_Mode_.--Cut up the duck into joints, lay it in the gravy, and add a
seasoning of cayenne, salt, and minced lemon-peel; let tins gradually
warm through, but not boil. Throw the peas into boiling water slightly
salted, and boil them rapidly until tender. Drain them, stir in the
pounded sugar, and the butter rolled in flour; shake them over the fire
for two or three minutes, and serve in the centre of the dish, with the
duck laid round.

_Time_.--15 minutes to boil the peas, when they are full grown.

_Average cost_, exclusive of the cold duck, 10d.

_Seasonable_ from June to August.

FATTENING DUCKS.--Many duck-keepers give their birds nothing in
the shape of food, letting them wander about and pick up a
living for themselves; and they will seem to get fat even upon
this precarious feeding. Unless, however, ducks are supplied
with, besides chance food, a liberal feed of solid corn, or
grain, morning and evening, their flesh will become flabby and
insipid. The simple way to fatten ducks is to let them have as
much, substantial food as they will eat, bruised oats and
pea-meal being the standard fattening food for them. No cramming
is required, as with the turkey and some other poultry: they
will cram themselves to the very verge of suffocation. At the
same time, plenty of exercise and clean water should be at their
service.

AMERICAN MODE OF CAPTURING DUCKS.--On the American rivers, the
modes of capture are various. Sometimes half a dozen artificial
birds are fastened to a little raft, and which is so weighted
that the sham birds squat naturally on the water. This is quite
sufficient to attract the notice of a passing flock, who descend
to cultivate the acquaintance of the isolated few when the
concealed hunter, with his fowling-piece, scatters a deadly
leaden shower amongst them. In the winter, when the water is
covered with rubble ice, the fowler of the Delaware paints his
canoe entirely white, lies flat in the bottom of it, and floats
with the broken ice; from which the aquatic inhabitants fail to
distinguish it. So floats the canoe till he within it
understands, by the quacking, and fluttering, and whirring of
wings, that he is in the midst of a flock, when he is up in a
moment with the murderous piece, and dying quacks and
lamentations rend the still air.

[Illustration: BOW-BILL DUCKS.]

Bow-BILL DUCKS, &c.--Every one knows how awkward are the
_Anatidae_, waddling along on their unelastic webbed toes, and
their short legs, which, being placed considerably backward,
make the fore part of the body preponderate. Some, however, are
formed more adapted to terrestrial habits than others, and
notably amongst these may be named _Dendronessa sponsa_, the
summer duck of America. This beautiful bird rears her young in
the holes of trees, generally overhanging the water. When strong
enough, the young scramble to the mouth of the hole, launch into
the air with their little wings and feet spread out, and drop
into their favourite element. Whenever their birthplace is at
some distance from the water, the mother carries them to it, one
by one, in her bill, holding them so as not to injure their yet
tender frame. On several occasions, however, when the hole was
30, 40, or more yards from a piece of water, Audubon observed
that the mother suffered the young to fall on the grass and
dried leaves beneath the tree, and afterwards led them directly
to the nearest edge of the next pool or creek. There are some
curious varieties of the domestic duck, which only appear
interesting from their singularity, for there does not seem to
be anything of use or value in the unusual characteristics which
distinguish them; thus, the bow-bill duck, as shown in the
engraving, called by some writers the hook-bill, is remarkable
for the peculiarly strange distortion of its beak, and the tuft
on the top of its head. The penguin duck, again, waddles in an
upright position, like the penguin, on account of the unnatural
situation of its legs. These odd peculiarities add nothing of
value to the various breeds, and may be set down as only the
result of accidental malformation, transmitted from generation
to generation.

STEWED DUCK AND TURNIPS (Cold Meat Cookery).

937. INGREDIENTS.--The remains of cold roast duck, 1/2 pint of good
gravy, 4 shalots, a few slices of carrot, a small bunch of savoury
herbs, 1 blade of pounded mace, 1 lb. of turnips, weighed after being
peeled, 2 oz. of butter, pepper and salt to taste.

_Mode_.--Cut up the duck into joints, fry the shalots, carrots, and
herbs, and put them, with the duck, into the gravy; add the pounded
mace, and stew gently for 20 minutes or 1/2 hour. Cut about 1 lb. of
turnips, weighed after being peeled, into 1/2-inch squares, put the
butter into a stewpan, and stew them till quite tender, which will be in
about 1/2 hour, or rather more; season with pepper and salt, and serve
in the centre of the dish, with the duck, &c. laid round.

_Time_.--Rather more than 1/2 hour to stew the turnips.

_Average cost_, exclusive of the cold duck, 1s.

_Seasonable_ from November to February.

THE WILD DUCK.--In many parts of England the wild duck is to be
found, especially in those desolate fenny parts where water
abounds. In Lincolnshire they are plentiful, and are annually
taken in the decoys, which consist of ponds situate in the
marshes, and surrounded with wood or reeds to prevent the birds
which frequent them from, being disturbed. In these the birds
sleep during the day; and as soon as evening sets in, the _decoy
rises_, and the wild fowl feed during the night. Now is the time
for the decoy ducks to entrap the others. From the ponds
diverge, in different directions, certain canals, at the end of
which funnel nets are placed; along these the _decoy ducks_,
trained for the purpose, lead the others in search of food.
After they have got a certain length, a decoy-man appears, and
drives them further on, until they are finally taken in the
nets. It is from these decoys, in Lincolnshire, that the London
market is mostly supplied. The Chinese have a singular mode of
catching these ducks. A person wades in the water up to the
chin, and, having his head covered with an empty calabash,
approaches the place where the ducks are. As the birds have no
suspicion of the nature of the object which is concealed under
the calabash, they suffer its approach, and allow it to move at
will among their flock. The man, accordingly, walks about in the
midst of his game, and, whenever he pleases, pulls them by the
legs under the water, and fixes them to his belt, until he has
secured as many as he requires, and then moves off as he went
amongst them, without exciting the slightest suspicion of the
trick he has been playing them. This singular mode of
duck-hunting is also practised on the Ganges, the earthen
vessels of the Hindoos being used instead of calabashes. These
vessels, being those in which the inhabitants boil their rice,
are considered, after once being used, as defiled, and are
accordingly thrown into the river. The duck-takers, finding them
suitable for their purpose, put them on their heads; and as the
ducks, from seeing them constantly floating down the stream, are
familiar with their appearance, they regard them as objects from
which no danger is to be expected.

[Illustration: CALL-DUCKS.]

DUCK-SNARES IN THE LINCOLNSHIRE FENS.--The following interesting
account of how duck-snaring used to be managed in the
Lincolnshire fens, was published some years ago, in a work
entitled the "Feathered Tribes."--"In the lakes to which they
resorted, their favourite haunts were observed, and in the most
sequestered part of a haunt, a pipe or ditch was cut across the
entrance, decreasing gradually in width from the entrance to the
further end, which was not more than two feet wide. The ditch
was of a circular form, but did not bend much for the first ten
yards. The banks of the lake on each side of the ditch were kept
clear of weeds and close herbage, in order that the ducks might
get on them to sit and dress themselves. Along the ditch, poles
were driven into the ground close to the edge on each side, and
the tops were bent over across the ditch and tied together. The
poles then bent forward at the entrance to the ditch, and formed
an arch, the top of which was tea feet distant from the surface
of the water; the arch was made to decrease in height as the
ditch decreased in width, so that the remote end was not more
than eighteen inches in height. The poles were placed about six
feet from each other, and connected by poles laid lengthwise
across the arch, and tied together. Over the whole was thrown a
net, which was made fast to a reed fence at the entrance and
nine or ten yards up the ditch, and afterwards strongly pegged
to the ground. At the end of the ditch furthest from the
entrance, was fixed what was called a tunnel-net, of about four
yards in length, of a round form, and kept open by a number of
hoops about eighteen inches in diameter, placed at a small
distance from each other to keep it distended. Supposing the
circular bend of the ditch to be to the right, when one stands
with his back to the lake, then on the left-hand side, a number
of reed fences were constructed, called shootings, for the
purpose of screening the decoy-man from observation, and, in
such a manner, that the fowl in the decoy would not be alarmed
while he was driving those that were in the pipe. These
shootings, which were ten in number, were about four yards in
length and about six feet high. From the end of the last
shooting a person could not see the lake, owing to the bend of
the ditch; and there was then no further occasion for shelter.
Were it not for these shootings, the fowl that remained about
the mouth of the ditch would have been alarmed, if the person
driving the fowl already under the net should have been exposed,
and would have become so shy as entirely to forsake the place."

THE DECOY MAN, DOG, AND DUCKS.--"The first thing the decoy-man
did, on approaching the ditch, was to take a piece of lighted
peat or turf, and to hold it near his mouth, to prevent the
birds from smelling him. He was attended by a dog trained to
render him assistance. He walked very silently about halfway up
the shootings, where a small piece of wood was thrust through
the reed fence, which made an aperture just large enough to
enable him to see if there were any fowl within; if not, he
walked to see if any were about the entrance to the ditch. If
there were, he stopped, made a motion to his dog, and gave him a
piece of cheese to eat, when the dog went directly to a hole
through the reed fence, and the birds immediately flew off the
back into the water. The dog returned along the bank between the
reed fences, and came out to his master at another hole. The man
then gave the dog something more to encourage him, and the dog
repeated his rounds, till the birds were attracted by his
motions, and followed him into the mouth of the ditch--an
operation which was called 'working them.' The man now retreated
further back, working the dog at different holes, until the
ducks were sufficiently under the net. He then commanded his dog
to lie down under the fence, and going himself forward to the
end of the ditch next the lake, he took off his hat, and gave it
a wave between the shootings. All the birds that were under the
net could then see him, but none that were in the lake could.
The former flew forward, and the man then ran to the next
shooting, and waved his hat, and so on, driving them along until
they came into the tunnel-net, into which they crept. When they
were all in, the man gave the net a twist, so as to prevent them
getting back. He then took the net off from the end of the
ditch, and taking out, one by one, the ducks that were in it,
dislocated their necks."

BOILED FOWLS OR CHICKENS.

[Illustration: BOILED FOWL.]

938. INGREDIENTS.--A pair of fowls; water.

_Choosing and Trussing_.--In choosing fowls for boiling, it should be
borne in mind that those that are not black-legged are generally much
whiter when dressed. Pick, draw, singe, wash, and truss them in the
following manner, without the livers in the wings; and, in drawing, be
careful not to break the gall-bladder:--Cut off the neck, leaving
sufficient skin to skewer back. Cut the feet off to the first joint,
tuck the stumps into a slit made on each side of the belly, twist the
wings over the back of the fowl, and secure the top of the leg and the
bottom of the wing together by running a skewer through them and the
body. The other side must be done in the same manner. Should the fowl be
very large and old, draw the sinews of the legs before tucking them in.
Make a slit in the apron of the fowl, large enough to admit the parson's
nose, and tie a string on the tops of the legs to keep them in their
proper place.

_Mode_.--When, they are firmly trussed, put them into a stewpan with
plenty of hot water; bring it to boil, and carefully remove all the scum
as it rises. _Simmer very gently_ until the fowl is tender, and bear in
mind that the slower it boils, the plumper and whiter will the fowl be.
Many cooks wrap them in a floured cloth to preserve the colour, and to
prevent the scum from clinging to them; in this case, a few slices of
lemon should be placed on the breasts; over these a sheet of buttered
paper, and then the cloth; cooking them in this manner renders the flesh
very white. Boiled ham, bacon, boiled tongue, or pickled pork, are the
usual accompaniments to boiled fowls, and they may be served with
Bechamel, white sauce, parsley and butter, oyster, lemon, liver, celery,
or mushroom sauce. A little should be poured over the fowls, after the
skewers are removed, and the remainder sent in a tureen to table.

_Time_.--Large fowl, 1 hour; moderate-sized one, 3/4 hour; chicken, from
20 minutes to 1/2 hour.

_Average cost_, in full season, 5s. the pair.

_Sufficient_ for 7 or 8 persons.

_Seasonable_ all the year, but scarce in early spring.

[Illustration: GAME-FOWLS.]

THE GAME FOWL.--Respecting the period at which this well-known
member of the _Gallus_ family became domesticated, history is
silent. There is little doubt, however, that, like the dog, it
has been attached to mankind ever since mankind were attached to
civilization. Although the social position of this bird is, at
the present time, highly respectable, it is nothing to what it
was when Rome was mistress of the world. Writing at that period,
Pliny says, respecting the domestic cock, "The gait of the cock
is proud and commanding; he walks with head erect and elevated
crest; alone, of all birds, he habitually looks up to the sky,
raising, at the same time, his curved and scythe-formed tail,
and inspiring terror in the lion himself, that most intrepid of
animals.----They regulate the conduct of our magistrates, and
open or close to them their own houses. They prescribe rest or
movement to the Roman fasces: they command or prohibit battles.
In a word, they lord it over the masters of the world." As well
among the ancient Greeks as the Romans, was the cock regarded
with respect, and even awe. The former people practised
divinations by means of this bird. Supposing there to be a doubt
in the camp as to the fittest day to fight a battle, the letter
of every day in the week would be placed face downwards, and a
grain of corn placed on each; then the sacred cock would be let
loose, and, according to the letters he pecked his corn from, so
would the battle-time be regulated. On one momentous occasion,
however, a person inimical to priestly interest officiously
examined the grain, and found that those lying on the letters
not wanted were made of wax, and the birds, preferring the true
grain, left these untouched. It is needless to add that, after
this, divination through the medium of cocks and grain fell out
of fashion. Whether or no the learned fowl above alluded to were
of the "game" breed, is unknown; but that the birds were bred
for the inhuman sport of fighting many hundred years before the
Christian era, there can be no doubt. Themistocles, the Athenian
king, who flourished more than two thousand years ago, took
advantage of the sight of a pitched battle between two cocks to
harangue his soldiers on courage. "Observe," said he, "with what
intrepid valour they fight, inspired by no other motive than
lore of victory; whereas you have to contend for your religion
and your liberty, for your wives and children, and for the tombs
of your ancestors." And to this day his courage has not
degenerated. He still preserves his bold and elegant gait, his
sparkling eye, while his wedge-shaped beak and cruel spurs are
ever ready to support his defiant crow. It is no wonder that the
breed is not plentiful--first, on account of the few eggs laid
by the hen; and, secondly, from the incurable pugnacity of the
chicks. Half fledged broods may be found blind as bats from
fighting, and only waiting for the least glimmer of sight to be
at it again. Without doubt, the flesh of game fowls is every way
superior to that of every chicken of the family.