FLESH FOOD FUENISHED BY THE FEATHERED TRIBES. 181 



Great Britain, and sold in Launceston and Hpbarton for 

 threepence a-piece. 



Three-fourths of the bird consist of pure white fat, and 

 one-fourth of red meat and tender bones. The flavour is 

 rather fishy, but if once used to it it is not bad at all, 

 only rather too fat. They eat best when salted and 

 smoked a little, then boiled a short time and afterwards 

 eaten cold. If properly salted they might form an 

 article of trade in that quarter, like herrings in Europe. 

 The fat when clean is quite white, and looks like goose 

 fat, but the taste is rather oily : however, it may be used 

 for a good many other purposes than for food ; it burns 

 very well in small shallow tin lamps, which get warmed 

 by the light and melt the fat. 



One species of petrel {Puffinus brevicaudus) is very 

 abundant on the coasts of Australia and New Zealand. 

 At certain seasons the natives of New Zealand collect 

 large numbers of these birds and preserve them in cala- 

 bashes, potted in their own fat, either for future use or 

 gifts to neighbours. 



The canvas-back duck (FuUgala valisiierid), which is 

 lean on its first arrival in the United States, becomes in 

 November about three pounds in weight, and in high 

 order for the table ; there are few birds which grace the 

 board better. Zostera marina and Rwppia maritima form 

 their food., as well as the fresh- water Valisneria, which 

 last is limited in distribution. 



The Prince of Musignano is eloquent in praise of this 

 delicacy : — " Came della massima squisitezza, grandi- 

 mente ricercata dai gastranomi. Le migliore della. 

 Anitre-Forse il miglior uccello d' America." 



Everybody, says the Baltimore Sun, has heard of 

 Chesapeake canvas-backed ducks and diamond-backed 

 terrapins, and a great many people know something of 

 how they taste when served up for the table, but not 

 many are acquainted with the manner in which they are 

 handled by the dealers in these and other famed gastro- 

 nomic luxuries. There is an establishment in Baltimore 

 which has been fitted up especially for this trade, where 



