From: The Thorough Good Cook

Entrees: 19. Gratin of Pigeon a la Paerigord

Bone six small pigeons; cut a piece of bread about two inches high, surround it with a thin slice of fat bacon, then cover it with forcemeat, sloping off to the edge of the dish; season the pigeons with pepper and salt, fill them with the stuffing, so as to give them their original shape; place them with the breasts upwards on the forcemeat, put a little more stuffing on the birds, so as to leave the breasts only bare; cover these with a thin slice of fat bacon, and bake in a moderately heated oven for about three-quarters of an hour. When done, take out the bread, and with a napkin soak up all the fat; filling the cavity with whole truffles,mushrooms, and Spanish sauce.