THE GARGANEY. 371 



thousand five hundred of the handsomely sculptured seeds of the 

 grass wrack, Zoster a marina; nor was this all, as fully one- tenth 

 of the matter that which adhered to the coats of the stomach 

 was not taken into account." 



Notwithstanding such omnivorous tastes, the mallard is ac- 

 knowledged to be one of the best of all ducks for the table; and it 

 may please the consumer to be here reminded of the following 

 excellent relish, which will at least obliterate any flavour 

 imparted to the bird by the long list of organisms just quoted. 

 The recipe appears to be that of an epicure who does not agree 

 with the French cooks when they allow that this inimitable and 

 venerated bird is best eaten plain roasted, with a few tears of 

 lemon dropped upon his brown smoking breast : " The finest 

 sauce we know for duck, or any wild fowl, is one that Dr 

 Kitchener derived from Major Hawker, the celebrated sporting 

 writer. It is perfect. Man wants but little here below, but this 

 sauce he must have. A celebrated cook of 1816 used to charge a 

 fee of a guinea for disclosing it. It would make even a politician 

 who had ratted swallow all his early speeches. Here it is for 

 nothing. * One glass of port wine, one spoonful of caviare, one 

 ditto of catsup, one ditto of lemon juice, one slice of lemon peel, 

 one large shalot sliced, four grains of dark cayenne pepper (not 

 Venetian red and brick dust), and two blades of mace. Scald and 

 strain this, and add it to the pure gravy of the bird. Serve the 

 duck (if it be a duck) in a silver dish, with a lamp under it, and 

 let this sauce gently simmer round it.' The duck who spends 

 his useful life in flitting from lake to brook in search of rush buds 

 and olive-brown water-cresses, would, if he could but taste this 

 sauce, rejoice in being so embalmed, and exult in being so honoured." 

 Dr Kitchener, however, might not care to have the duck's opinion 

 on the subject. 



THE GARGANEY. 



ANAS QUERQUEDULA. 



Is of very rare occurrence in the West of Scotland nearly all the 

 specimens killed north of the Tweed having been obtained on the 

 east coast, and chiefly on the river Forth. The Garganey, however, 

 is a species which has probably been overlooked as a Scottish bird. 

 The earliest record of it is that given by Dr Barry in his Natural 



