The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-07-11
RARE BIRD OF RARE FLAVOR.
. Gamy Tidbit Tint Gourmets Have Liked
Since the Days of Lucullus.


What the riccbird Is to China, tho reed.
oird to our southern country, the paradise
bird to the Australian natives, the ortolan
or ortulan Is to tho gourmots of southern
Europe-a feast Of sagred memory or OF
hallowcd expectation. But the true o-to-
Ian Is rare dish in more senses than one.
Indeed 1t il by no means easy to procure
It, apart from the home tables of the very
rich, even In its habitats-southern Europe
and Japan.
And this rarity has persisted through
the centuries since the festal days Of an
cient Rome, when Lucullus, Apecius and
Crassus paid enormous sums in order that
this dainty might adorn their boards. Be-
tween ortolans' breasts and nightintales'
tongues there was constant race for gas
tronomic favor, and tho ortolan generally
dew in the lead by full neck.
The ortolan is a very handsome bird,
with fiuty warble, usually heard at sun
set and ut sunrise It has q small, sharp
bill, wings Of moderate length and long
ish tail, very acutely forked. The upper
part Of the hend and neck is grayish
green In hue, with duskier spots The
throat, eye circle and broad band from
the bill downward are fine yellow. The
residue OF the upper parts is bay, inclin-
ing to red, with the popularity that each
back feather Is black In tho middle. The
tail vergcs on black, and the extreme
length of largo male IL 6lz inches. The
female Is smaller and fainter In color, but
still almost as much Of n beauty.
Tho ortolan has occasionally been noted
In the south of England during soft sea-
sons, but never In large fiocks, though it is
grcgarious In its habits. At ono time it
was abundant In tho isle of Cyprus and
was very numerous in southern Japan and
the adjacent islands. Along the Meditcr-
ranean const IL was remarked long ago by
naturalists that this curious bird was n
veritable Zoroastrian, or sun worshiper, and
would only feed when the god Of day be-
gan to ascend his throne of azure
Seizing on this odd fact in natural his
tory, designing man for centuries has
been playing cruel trick on the innocent
ortolan. The birds are shared In nets with
the aid Of dccoy birds In early autumn,
before thoy have attained full growth, and
are put In n largo Opaque room. Every
three hours sudden light is let into the
darkness, and its rays reveal TO tho birds
tempting spread of oats, millct and spiccd
breads The ortolans revel in this repast
for quarter Of an hour, and then darkness
enshrouds them, and they fall asleep. A
fortnight OF this forced festivity sufflccs
generally to render their flesh very fat and
of keen, gamy and subtly delicious 1av q.
They are considered perfect when we n
Ing about three ounces, and thus prepared
they frequently are wholesaled at over 81
apiece, though In some seacons they have
been sold In Paris as low as 81 dozen.
At one period OF history for several years
the isle Of Cypress was blessed with del
uge Of these toothsome warblcrs, and the
natives put them up In casks with spiced
vinegar, about 300 In u cask, and an ex-
port trade OF 400 casks per aflnum result
ed Hence, including homo consumption,
it IL probable that there was yearly
slaughter Of these innoccnts TO tho enor-
nous amount of mt least 200, 0o0.-St
' ouis Post ID spatoh.