Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1886-12-24
TOOTHSoME EGGS.
An Epicure's Discourse Upon tho Rare
Qualities of Some Wild Birds Eggs.

An Eplcure's Discourse Upon tho Rare
Qualities of Some Wild Birds Eggs.
'1f you are fond of hens eggs" said
New York sportsman, who has
Travelled good DEAL and processes TO
know every thing, "nevcr eat part
ridges egg even if you have a chance,
for common egg will have lost its
flavor for you from that time on. /
have eaten the eggs OF all kinds of wild
birds, and found many of them good,
but the partridge's egg is simply deli
cious. When | say partridge l mean
pheasant which is only another name
for, the rufled grouse. A half dozen
rullled grouse eggs, broiled until the
white and yelk are both thoroughly
cooked-but not transformed into the
blue tintel, bullet proof condition of
the railroad restaurant hard-boiied egg
make breakfast that would tickle
the pamperod palate of an Oriental
Prince as it had never been tickle be-
fore, The profanng touch of knife
or fork must not be on breakfast of
phcasants' egg. Peel the shell care
fully OF the meat. The bare egg
glistens in your fingers, a velvety
ellipsc, VIII to as ivory. You can't make
two bites of cherry, but you can make
just bites of one of these eggs The
meat, 10th white and yellow, melts in
the mouth like some rich creamy paste,
and the fla or is simply indescribable.
"lt has been a good many years since
] ate any partridges' eggs, for they are
decidedly scarce nowadays, but nee my
first taste of them common eggs have
no temptation for me- As it is not very
likely that you will ever have an oppor-
iunity to rob q partridge's nest, / run
no risk in whettlng your appetite by
this relation. | would remark right
here also that, in case YOU should ever
run on to Il nest, the law places value
of ten dollars on each egg in the nest
and as it will contain twelve your little
breakfast for two might be costly one.
"The prair'e chickens egg is next to
n partridge's in del cacy and flavor, that
BIRD being one of the numerous grouse
family. | know famous eplcure in
Chicago, whose parents were among the
early settlers west of that city, He saws
that prare ch cken eggs were one OF
the chief articles of their diet for many
years, and that he has never been able
TO eat hens eggs since. Every spring
ne manages, In some way, to have prai-
rie hunters Obtain for him three or four
dozen of this delicacy of his boyhood,
and he has paid rs high as sixty dollars
q dozen for them. That's what he tells
me, and as he is not in Ch cago politics
! have no reason to doubt him.
The Common guinea hens egg is
priced by tho ep cure more that the
hens egg, and it has q gamy flavor that
just suits the educated palate. have
eaten these speckled, top-shaped eggs,
and agree with epicures. Then there Is
the pea-fowl's egg. 1t is not as hand
some as its father, but there S no other
domestcated fowl that lays an egg to
compare with it in flavor. don't in
clude tho guinea hen in this statement,
for that fowl is only half domesticated,
as you might we'll believe if you should
ever see one of the plucky, screechiug,
humpbacked little birds attack hawk
in poultryyard, md not only chase it
away, but fly after it in the air, follow
ing it for half milo or more some-
times, and fighting it fiercely from all
sides, until the feathers Of the maraudcr
are scattered TO the ground in tufts.
"The eggs of the wild turkey are also
superior 10 the eggs of domest C fowls,
beng tender as hens egg and of q
d'liciously game flavor. The Wild
ducks egg-at least those of the species
have eaten-are tough and rank, but
have heard that the wood ducks egg
is excellent
"Wild pigeons eggs become milky
when they are cooked and smell like
rancid oil. Quails' eggs are DELICIOUS
little morsels, but they won't melt in
your mouth. Tho wild goose's egg,
boiled, would make good base ball,
but, on the contrary, the wild swan $
egg is not bad eating-not as fair
favored as a wild turkeys, nor as a
partr,dge's, but it will serve. The eggs
of water hens and all Southern amphib-
ous birds that / ever ate are rank; why
they should be don't know, for the
food of the bird is clcanly and of the
best.
Fortunately, we have no profession
al hunters of wild birds nest in til S
country, as they have in England; but
II we had 0 national epiourean taste for
the eggs of any particular bird, as they
have there, the nest hunter world, of
course, be an accompanying evil. Plov-
ers' eggs are a great delicacy in En-
gland, and during the months of April
and May an entcing display of these
EGGS is made in the poultcrers' shops.
The eggs are shown in baskets
made in imitation of moss
lined birds nest, and holding a
dozen eggs. Frequently there will
b. two or three partridge eggs among
those OF the plover in the basket These
delicate eggs command as high as four
English shillings-about dollar of our
monoy-por dozen. They are collected
by n shiftless class of men, who prefer
10 tramp all day over burrows and rough
ground, on the chance of robbing the
poor plover of two or three dozen eggs,
rather than do an honest days work.
The nest hunting requires a certain de-
gree of skill and eunning, however,
and probably therein lies the fasoina-
ton, for the business is at the best not
very remunerative, o good hunter doing
well If he secures three dozen eggs in a
day, for which he will receive about
thirty cents dozen If the eggs are all
sound, which they will rarely be- There
does not seem to be any law against
robbing the nests, but the hunter is in
constant danger of arrest for trespass-
ing. To such an extent is the collecting
of plovers' eggs carried on in England
that sportsmen there wonder that any of
the tn b birds d., are g left'ln tAs eodntFy'"@cOr,
WHEAT ENpERIMENT2