_Veal._--The flesh of a bull calf is firmer, but not in general so white as that of a cow calf. Exposures to the air for some time reddens the colour of the flesh. Veal is best of which the kidney is well covered with thick white hard fat. _Mutton._--A _wether_, five years old, affords the most delicate meat. The grain of the meat should be fine, and the fat white and firm. The leg of a _wether mutton_ is known by a round lump of fat on the insides of the thigh, the leg of an _ewe_ by the udder. _Lamb._--The flesh of fine lamb looks of a delicate pale red colour; the fat is splendid white, but it does not possess a great solidity. _Grass Lamb_ is in season from Easter to Michaelmas. _House Lamb_ from Christmas to Lady-day. _Pork._--This species of meat of the best fed animals is particularly fine grained, and may be bruised by forcibly pressing it between the fingers. The skin of the young animal is thin; the flesh of old pigs is hard and tough, and the skin very thick. The prime season for pork is from Michaelmas to March. The western pigs, chiefly those of Berks, Oxford, and Bucks, possess a decided superiority over the eastern of Essex, Suffolk, and Norfolk. _Hare._--To ascertain its age, examine the first joint of the fore foot; you will find a small knob, if it is a _leveret_, which disappears as the hare grows older; then examine the ears; if they tear easily, the animal is young. When newly killed, the body is stiff; as it grows stale, it becomes flaccid. _Venison_--is of a darker colour than mutton. If the fat be clear, bright and thick, and the cleft of the hoof smooth and close, it is young, but if the cleft is wide and tough, it is old. By pushing a skewer or knife under the bone which sticks out of a haunch or shoulder, the odour of the skewer will tell whether the meat be fresh or tainted. Venison is best flavoured in the month of August, the animal should not be killed till he is about four years old. _Fowls_--for boiling should be chosen as white as possible, those which have black legs had better be roasted. The season of perfection in poultry is just before they have quite come to their full growth. Chickens three months old are very delicate. Age makes a striking difference in the flesh of fowls, since after the age of twelve months it becomes tougher. The cock indeed, at that age, is only used for making soup. _Pigeons_--are in their greatest perfection in September, there is then the most plentiful and best food for them; their finest growth is just when they are full feathered. When they are in the pen-feathers, they are flabby; when they are full grown, and have flown some time, they are hard. _Pheasants_--may be distinguished by the _length_ and _sharpness_ of their _spurs_, which in the younger ones are _short_ and _blunt_.