Fig. 3.

thought from the breast-bone; and by placing your knife under it, lift it up, pressing it backwards on the dish, and you will easily remove that bone. The collar-bones, e e, lie on each side the merrythought, and are to be lifted up at the broad end, by the knife, and forced towards the breast-bone, till the part which is fastened to it breaks off. The breast is next to be separated from the carcass, by cutting through the ribs on each side, from one end of the fowl to the other, The back is then laid upwards, and the knife passed firmly across it, near the middle, while the fork lifts up the other end. The side bones are lastly to be separated; to do which turn the back from you, and on each side the back-bone, in the direction of g g (fig. 4.),

Fig. 4.

مة من

you will find a joint, which you must separate, and the cutting up of the fowl will be complete.

Ducks and partridges are to be cut up in the same manner; in the latter, however, the merry-thought

is seldom separated from the breast, unless the birds are very large.

Turkeys and geese have slices cut on each side of the breast-bone, and by beginning to cut from the wings upwards to the breast-bone, many more slices may be obtained, than if you cut from the breast-bone to the wings, although I do not think the slices are quite as handsome as if cut in the latter method.

The pheasant (see fig. 5.) is shown as if trussed

for the spit, with its head under one of its wings; the skewers being removed before it is sent up to the table.

The fork must be fixed in the centre of the breast, which is to be sliced in the direction of the lines ab; the legs and wings are to be taken off in that of the lines c, d, e, and f, and the slices are then to be cut off from the breast in the direction of the dotted lines. Be careful in taking off the wings not to go too near the neck-bone, from which the wing must

be separated. Cut off the merry-thought in the same manner as from a fowl, by passing the knife under it towards the neck. The other parts also are to be cut as in a fowl.

Pigeons (see fig 6) are either cut from the neck

to a, which is the fairest way, or from b to c, which is now the most fashionable mode; and the lower part is esteemed the best.

There are two ways of carving a hare. When it is young, the knife may be entered near the shoulder at a (see fig. 7.), and cut down to b, on each side

of the back-bone; and thus the hare will be divided into three parts. The back is to be again divided

into four parts, where the dotted lines are in the cut: these and the legs are considered the best parts, though the shoulders are preferred by some, and are to be taken off in the direction of c d e. The pieces should be laid neatly on the plates, as they are separated, and each plate served with stuffing and gravy. When the hare is old, it is better not to attempt the division down the back, which would require much strength; but the legs should be separated from the body at f, and then the meat cut off from each side, and divided into moderate-sized pieces. If the brains and ears are required, cut off the head, and put your knife between the upper and lower jaw, and divide them, which will enable you to lay the upper jaw flat on the dish then force the point of your knife into the centre, and having cut the head into two parts, distribute the brains with the ears to those who like them.

Rabbits are carved in the same manner as a hare, except that the back is divided only into two pieces, which, with the legs, are considered the most delicate parts.

A Ham is generally cut in the direction of a to b, fig. 8., down to the bone, and through the prime

part of the ham. hole at c, and to

Another way is to cut a small enlarge it by cutting circular pieces out of it; this method brings you to the best part of the ham directly, and has an advantage over the other in keeping in the gravy.

A leg of mutton is more easily carved than any other joint, but nevertheless there is a mode of doing it neatly, which should be observed. The first slice should be taken out at a (fig. 9.) be

tween the knuckle b and the thick end; and the second and subsequent slices should be cut in this direction, until you are stopped by the cramp-bone at c; then turn it up, and take the remaining slices from the back, in a longitudinal direction. When the leg is rather lean, help some fat from the broad end with each slice. The best and most juicy slices are towards the broad end: but some persons prefer the knuckle: and where economy is an object, the knuckle should always be eaten when the joint is hot, as it becomes very dry when