COOKERY OF THE PARTRIDGE 259 



partridge or who, in the words of a proverb too well 

 known for it to be lawful to cite it just yet, object to 

 roast partridge always. 



The universality of these facts>or of some of them, 

 seems to be established by the other fact, that in the 

 case of no game bird are there so many receipts for 

 cooking as in the case of the partridge, which is also 

 of unusually wide distribution. It is true that the 

 Continental partridge is usually, though not always, a 

 red-leg, and that the American partridge is, unless 

 imported, only a big and rather plebeian quail. But 

 these facts are only a greater reason for applying the 

 counsels of /^perfection the various devices for 

 disguising the intrinsic incompleteness of the subject 

 under a weight of ornament. It must be confessed 

 that the result is by no means always contemptible 

 with the proper appliances and in the hands of a 

 skilful artist it could hardly be so. But with some 

 exceptions to be noticed presently, it is always some- 

 thing like a crime in the case of the best birds, and 

 something like a confession in the case of the others. 



To the best of my belief there are only two forms 

 of .what may be called the secondary cookery of the 

 partridge which bear distinct marks of independence 

 and originality. One is the English partridge pudding, 

 and the other is the French Perdrix aux choux. 



s 2 



