THE SWAN. 53 



and when sent to the different receivers, are accompanied 

 with the following instructions for cooking, written by the 

 Rev. J. C. Matchell : 



To ROAST A SWAN. 



Take three pounds of beef, beat fine in a mortar, 



Put it into the swan that is, when you have caught her ; 



Some pepper, salt, mace, some nutmeg, an onion 



Will heighten the flavour in gourmand's opinion. 



Then tie it up tight with a small piece of tape, 



That the gravy and other things may not escape ; 



A meat paste, rather stiff, should be laid on the breast, 



And some whited-brown paper should cover the rest ; 



Fifteen minutes, at least, ere the swan you take down, 



Pull the paste off the bird, that the breast may get brown. 



THE GRAVY. 



To a gravy of beef, good and strong, I opine 

 You'll be right if you add half a pint of port wine ; 

 Pour this through the swan yes, quite through the belly, 

 Then serve the whole up with some hot currant jelly. 



N. B. The swan must not be skinned. 



THE RED-BREASTED MERGANSER. 



The RED-BREASTED MERGANSER (Mergus serrator), or, as 

 he is called in Scotland, the Saw-Bill, Saw-Neb, or Diving- 

 Goose, frequents many of 

 the lochs of Scotland and 

 Ireland during the breed- 

 ing season, and when the 

 young are hatched the 

 mother leads them, after a 

 time, to the rivers running 

 from these lakes. On their 



,, i HEAD OF THE MERGANSER. 



way to the sea-coast and 



in the pools the old one and the brood may be constantly 



observed diving and fishing. 



To the salmon-angler this bird is a bete noir. The local 

 fishermen will tell you that wherever you see the mer- 



