234 THE WILD TURKEY AND ITS HUNTING 



baking. If the turkey is an old one, the first 

 process is to parboil until the flesh is tender; 

 then it is stuffed with sundry things, such as 

 bread-crumbs, oysters, shrimp, shallots, onions, 

 garlic, truffles, red and black pepper, wine and 

 celery to destroy the natural flavor of the bird. 

 It is a mistake to disguise the rich, delicate flavor 

 of turkey meat with the odor of fish, but it is 

 done and called roast turkey. 



If the turkey is a young one, cook it in the 

 way usual to stove-baking, after first filling its 

 cavity with a suitable dressing of bread-crumbs, 

 pepper, salt, and onions chopped fine, moistened 

 with fresh country butter. This is the best 

 dressing that can be made, and will detract 

 nothing from the flavor of the bird nor add to 

 it. If an old turkey, parboil it until the flesh 

 is quite tender, then stuff and bake. 



In the forest camp I neither bake nor roast 

 the turkey. Imagine a gobbler dressed and ly- 

 ing on a log or piece of bark beside you. Take 

 a sharp knife, run the blade down alongside the 

 keel bone, removing the flesh from one end of 

 that bone to the other. By this process each 



