Bear-meat has highly nutritive qualities, and is very warming.
Buffalo-steaks are said to be better broiled on cinders without a gridiron, than on or before coals with one; that is, Indian fashion and even hunters' fashion.
Indians often use wood-ashes as a substitute for salt, and never use salt with buffalo-meat; but their liking or preference comes from their habit of invariably broiling buffalo-meat on wood cinders or buffalo-chips.
Bear-hams, so well appreciated everywhere, are prepared and served like common hams. A bear-ham, tastefully decorated, is considered a recherché dish at supper for evening parties.
Blackbird, Bobolink, and Small Birds.—The cut below represents six small birds on the spit, ready for roasting. When the birds are prepared, cut off the ends of the wings and the legs above the first joint. Instead of cutting the legs above the first joint, the ends of the claws only may be cut off, according to taste. Cut thin slices of fat salt pork, of a proper size to cover the breast of the bird; place the slice on the breast of it, run a skewer through the middle of the bird, so that it will run through the two ends of the slice of salt pork also, as seen in the cut.
Have a skewer, or merely a piece of wire, long enough to hold six birds; fix the skewer on the spit, and roast.
When the six birds are on the skewer, fasten them with twine, to prevent them from turning round, as seen in the cut.
Small birds are cleaned and prepared as directed for poultry, but they are not trussed, their legs being tied while tying the salt pork. While roasting, they are basted often with the drippings. Some water-cress and lemon-juice sprinkled upon them may be served with the birds. The twine is removed before serving, and they must be served hot; if allowed to cool at all, they lose their taste. It takes from ten to fifteen minutes to roast.
Baked.—Prepare them exactly as for roasting: place the wire or skewer across a baking-pan, turn them round and baste often; serve also as above, with the gravy, and with or without water-cress.