150 HOW TO COOK PhrtCH BY ^VA■i^h;n SIDE. 



parks ; and, under such circumstauces, if not properly 

 netted, percli are very apt to degenerate and become very 

 small. The reason of this is that they are over-stocked ; 

 and, whereas they breed very fast, they starve one 

 another. The remedy is, of course, to shift to another 

 place or destroy at least one-third of these young perch, 

 and to feed the remainder regularly. 



The gardener and the gardener's boys, therefore, 

 should have orders to collect all the worms they possibly 

 can, and durinsr the summer a tub half filled with bran 



7 O 



should be instituted wherein to breed gentles in the 

 same manner as is done by the gamekeeper for young 

 pheasants. The perch should always be fed at or near 

 the same place in the pond ; and I know no better 

 amusement for a country house than an afternoon's 

 perch-fishing. 



When out on fishing expeditions nothing adds so much 

 to the enjoyment of the day as to cook for luncheon the 

 fish which have been caught by the party. I therefore 

 beg to quote tlie following excellent receipt, which is 

 given by a writer who signs himself Caerdyaa. Quaere 

 — what language is this ? Is it Welsh ? The gentleman 

 with the fimny name WTites as follows : " Fish may be 

 most perfectly cooked by the river side. Take the fish 

 as caught, not di'awn or otherwise cleaned, procure 

 some stiff clay, and with it give the fish a thin coating 

 about the sixteenth of an inch thick ; failing the clay^ 

 lightly envelope it in several coatings of paper — news- 

 paper will answer admirably ; thoroughly saturate the 

 paper by holding it in the water, having previously 

 lighted a fire of wood or sticks so as to produce a 

 quantity of hot fire-holding embers. Give the fish in the 

 case of clay twenty minutes therein ; if the fish is in 

 newspaper give them twenty minutes longer ; time must 



