butter, 1 oz. of flour.
_Mode_.--Beard the oysters, and scald them in their own liquor; then add
it, well strained, to the broth; thicken with the butter and flour, and
simmer for 1/4 of an hour. Put in the oysters, stir well, but do not let
it boil, and serve very hot.
_Time_.--3/4 hour. _Average cost_, 2s. per quart.
_Seasonable_ from September to April.
_Sufficient_ for 8 persons.
SEASON OF OYSTERS.--From April and May to the end of July,
oysters are said to be sick; but by the end of August they
become healthy, having recovered from the effects of spawning.
When they are not in season, the males have a black, and the
females a milky substance in the gill. From some lines of
Oppian, it would appear that the ancients were ignorant that the
oyster is generally found adhering to rocks. The starfish is one
of the most deadly enemies of these bivalves. The poet says:--
The prickly star creeps on with full deceit
To force the oyster from his close retreat.
When gaping lids their widen'd void display,
The watchful star thrusts in a pointed ray,
Of all its treasures spoils the rifled case,
And empty shells the sandy hillock grace.
PRAWN SOUP.