COOKERY OF THE PARTRIDGE 265 
thick and velvety, and the solid part should seem to 
have been naturally cooked in it, not suddenly 
plumped into a bath of independent preparation. 
Of the many ordinary fashions of cooking par- 
tridges it can hardly be necessary to speak here in 
detail. Generally speaking, it may be said that what- 
ever you can do with anything you can do with a 
partridge. To no animal with wings (always except- 
ing the barndoor fowl) do so many commonplace, but 
not therefore despicable, means of adjustment lend 
themselves. It is said that you may even boil a par- 
tridge, and that accommodated in this fashion it is 
very good for invalids ; but I never tasted boiled par- 
tridge, and I do not think that the chance of partak- 
ing of it would be a sufficient consolation to me for 
being an invalid. Partridge soup is not bad, and it 
offers means of disposing of birds to those who in 
out-of-the-way places happen to have more than they 
can dispose of in any other way. But it is not like 
grouse soup and hare soup, a thing distinctly good 
and independently recommendable. Partridge pie, 
on the other hand, is excellent. The place of the 
steak which is used in the ruder pudding is taken by 
veal, and in other respects it is arranged on the com- 
mon form of pies made of fowl: but it is better than 
most of its fellows. There will- always be bold bad 
