Unusual Game

In former centuries a far wider variety of animals, birds and fish were regularly consumed, some because they were (and some remain) edible and plentiful, others because they were, like the peacock or the swan, emblems of power and wealth, still others because they were all that could be found to fill the stomachs of the poor. Now we live in an overbuilt and overpopulated environment where many species which were killed for food, or their nests robbed of their eggs, are increasingly rare and often protected by law. It is still possible to come across unusual edible game, however, and this appendix lists a few kinds, and indicates briefly how they should be treated.