_Mode_.--The ptarmigan, or white grouse, when young and tender, are
exceedingly fine eating, and should be kept as long as possible, to be
good. Pluck, draw, and truss them in the same manner as grouse, No.
1025, and roast them before a brisk fire. Flour and froth them nicely,
and serve on buttered toast, with a tureen of brown gravy. Bread sauce,
when liked, may be sent to table with them, and fried bread crumbs
substituted for the toasted bread.
_Time_.--About 1/2 hour. _Sufficient_,--2 for a dish.
_Seasonable_ from the beginning of February to the end of April.
THE PTARMIGAN, OR WHITE GROUSE.--This bird is nearly the same
size as red grouse, and is fond of lofty situations, where it
braves the severest weather, and is found in most parts of
Europe, as well as in Greenland. At Hudson's Bay they appear in
such multitudes that so many as sixty or seventy are frequently
taken at once in a net. As they are as tame as chickens, this is
done without difficulty. Buffon says that the Ptarmigan avoids
the solar heat, and prefers the frosts of the summits of the
mountains; for, as the snow melts on the sides of the mountains,
it ascends till it gains the top, where it makes a hole, and
burrows in the snow. In winter, it flies in flocks, and feeds on
the wild vegetation of the hills, which imparts to its flesh a
bitter, but not altogether an unpalatable taste. It is
dark-coloured, and has something of the flavour of the hare, and
is greatly relished, and much sought after by some sportsmen.
[Illustration: THE PTARMIGAN.]
TO DRESS QUAILS.