(POULTRY _is in the greatest perfection when most plentiful. It
is generally dearest from February to Midsummer, and cheapest in
September._)
GEESE.—The bill and feet of a young Goose will be yellow, the breast
fat and plump, and the fat white and soft; but if old, the bill and
feet will be red, and the fat yellow and skinny. If fresh, the feet
will be limber, but if stale, stiff and dry. Green-Geese are in season
in April, May, and June. They should be scalded. Stubble-Geese come
into season in September.
TURKEYS.—Choose cock birds. The very best have black legs, but the
white legged birds are nearly as fine. If young their legs will be
smooth, and the spurs of the cock will be very short and tender; but
if old, the legs will be rough, and the spurs long and hard, unless
filed or cut off. But the best criterion, by which to judge of both
Turkeys and Fowls with certainty is, that the toes and bills, if they
be young, will be soft and pliable, but will feel hard and stiff, if
old. A Turkey should be kept without meat thirty-six hours before it
is killed, and should be hung up in its feathers a week before it is
dressed.
FOWLS.—Young Pullets are in their prime before they begin to lay; but
Hen Fowls are best when full of eggs, at which time the vent is soft.
The comb, skin, and legs of old Hens are rough. A good Capon has a
large rump, and much fat at the shoulders, and its comb is pale.
To know whether any kind of Fowl in its feathers is fit to dress, pull
the feathers off the vent very gently, and if they come off easily, it
ought to be dressed immediately.
DUCKS and DUCKLINGS.—These may be chosen by the same rules as Turkeys
and Fowls; but the bills and feet of wild Ducks are smaller and
redder than those of tame ones; their plumage too is different. Young
wild Ducks will not keep. All young Ducks should be scalded, as that
sweetens them, and improves their flavour.
[Norfolk is famous for Turkeys, Geese, and Ducks; Surrey and Sussex
for Fowls and Ducklings. The Dorking Fowls are in high estimation in
London.]
PIGEONS.—These birds should be both young and fresh, and when they are
so, they are fat and full at the vent; their legs are limber and of a
dusky white: young Pigeons have also a yellow down round their necks
and heads. If old, their legs and feet are large, harsh, and red, and
the vent discoloured and flabby. Tame Pigeons are best, as wood Pigeons
are harder and darker coloured.