Some prefer them prepared in this manner: 

Take very thin slices of bread, butter them well; cut them up into little squares three-fourths of an inch thick, place them in a baking pan, buttered side up, and brown in a quick oven.

FISH STOCK.

Place a saucepan over the fire with a good-sized piece of sweet butter and a sliced onion; put into that some sliced tomatoes, then add as many different kinds of fish as you can get—­oysters, clams, smelts, pawns, crabs, shrimps and all kinds of pan-fish; cook all together until the onions are well browned; then add a bunch of sweet herbs, salt and pepper, and sufficient water to make the required amount of stock.  After this has cooked for half an hour pound it with a wooden pestle, then strain and cook again until it jellies.

FISH SOUP.

Select a large, fine fish, clean it thoroughly, put it over the fire with a sufficient quantity of water, allowing for each pound of fish one quart of water; add an onion cut fine and a bunch of sweet herbs.  When the fish is cooked, and is quite tasteless, strain all through a colander, return to the fire, add some butter, salt and pepper to taste.  A small tablespoonful of Worcestershire sauce may be added if liked.  Serve with small squares of fried bread and thin slices of lemon.

LOBSTER SOUP, OR BISQUE.

Have ready a good broth made of three pounds of veal boiled slowly in as much water as will cover it, till the meat is reduced to shreds.  It must then be well strained.

Having boiled one fine middle-sized lobster, extract all the meat from the body and claws.  Bruise part of the coral in a mortar, and also an equal quantity of the meat.  Mix them well together.  Add mace, cayenne, salt and pepper, and make them up into force meat balls, binding the mixture with the yolk of an egg slightly beaten.

Take three quarts of the veal broth and put it into the meat of the lobster cut into mouthfuls.  Boil it together about twenty minutes.  Then thicken it with the remaining coral (which you must first rub through a sieve), and add the force meat balls and a little butter rolled in flour.  Simmer it gently for ten minutes, but do not let it come to a boil, as that will injure the color.  Serve with small dice of bread fried brown in butter.

OYSTER SOUP, No. 1.

Two quarts of oysters, one quart of milk, two tablespoonfuls of butter, one teacupful of hot water; pepper, salt.

Strain all the liquor from the oysters; add the water, and heat.  When near the boil, add the seasoning, then the oysters.  Cook about five minutes from the time they begin to simmer, until they “ruffle.”  Stir in the butter, cook one minute, and pour into the tureen.  Stir in the boiling milk and send to table.  Some prefer all water in place of milk.