THE CAXV AS-BACK DUCK. 321 



Carve him as a dish for gods, 

 Not hew him as a carcass for the hounds." 



Then, if he be indeed the very man, it is a pleasure in 

 itself to observe him. Mark how dantily between his 

 thumb and forefinger only he poises the elaborate and 

 burnished steel ; how dexterously and without effort he 

 slides it through the rich scarlet muscle, glowing like a 

 ripe pomegranate when its skin is severed, through car- 

 tilage and joint unerring 



*' And as he draws his trenchant steel away, 

 Mark how the blood of Caesar follows it," 



till the broad dish, of late so bright and stainless, is filled 

 even to o'erflowing with the rare, crimson gravy, and 

 the whole atmosphere of the dining room is perfumed 

 with the noble fumet. 



And, now to descend from no inappropriate raptures 

 to the world of common sense and the terrestrial limits 

 of Duckdom, be it known, that all this delicacy of flavor, 

 all this rare juciness and melting pinguidity, are attrib- 

 utable solely to the nicety and gentlemanly habits of 

 your Chesapeake Canvas-Back, in that he feeds, revers- 

 ing the modus operandi of my friends, the knights of the 

 tea-table, wisely, but not too well. Your Canvas -Back 

 of the Chesapeake Bay, but more especially of the Gun- 

 powder river, is the nobleman of that ancient dominion ; 



whereas, all other Canvas-Backs, even of the James, the 

 14* 



