Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-08-10
ST. PETERsBURG BIRD MARKET.

L
Tshukia Dvor. where the birds are sold. Two
long rows Of booths are full Of li.iag speci-
| mems of orDithoiogy pigeons, fowls, geese,
ducks, swans, larks, bull-6nches, siskihs, and
hundreds of other singing birds, are there co..
| iected, and form the most picturesque and va
negated menagcries that can be imagined.
Each booth is of wood, and open At the front,
4 So that the whole of its contents m3y be seen
at once by the passing stranger, who is saiuteG
with such a cOncers Di cackling growing, chat
terIng, cooing. piping, and wsrbllng, a. would
'umce 10 furnish the requisite idyliic supply
OF melodies for hundred villages. Between
LIe opposite booths arc usually such bridges as
| L nave already c-sn Jcd, from which the pic
lures Of saints are suSpe lded for the edifca-
ron Of the dovout On these bridges and on
| the booths whole swaruls Of pigeons are con-
sanity futtering about, the peaceful Russian
being great lover cf this gentle bird. Each
sFar'n knows its OWn rOoi, and the birds allow
themselves 10 be csGgGs without much difficult
| " when a bargain is about 10 be cuncl liei
| The pigeon Is never eaten by Russiau. VINO
would bod II sin 10 harm Lima. IL whose
form the Holy Ghost is aid 20 have mani. .e,ted
| Itself. Pigeons are bOught, e. fore. orfv
rs pets, TO be fed and schooled by their mas
tcrs. Ii Is curious TO see Russian merchant
hrectihg the flight OF has docie s;holaS With
a iItt c d : fastened to a Gong 81 # nccanveys
MS signals 10 theL-. makes them az . Is will
rise higher Ia the lir, Ay TO the right or ie.,,
or drop TO the ground as :! -truch 0y 4 buileS
from rife
The poor little singing biris-the Iarks, tho
nlghhEsaaes, iiune;s, Lul '-fnches, &e-must
DE ol han -IeT race thar ii more southern
lands; for in s, - # thc bitter frost tbcv
chIrrup away merrily, and salute with their
song every struggling ray Of sunshine that
hnds It's way into their gloomy ab1deS Tho
little creatures receive, during the whole long
winter, not one drop of water for il woull be
useless to offer them what a moment after-
wards would be converted into q petrifct
mass. The troughs are accordingly only filled
with snow, which they must Iiquify in their
own beaks wnen they wish 10 assuage their
thirst
Moscow is famed for its cocks, and here tho
Moscow cock may be proudly STR king
about, in cages and out of them The best
pigeons are said TO come from NOVgorod. and
n! dland furnishes the chief supply Of singing
BIRDS; geese are brought even from the cor
lies OF China, 10 be sold as rarIties in tho
Ishkln DvOr, after a journey Of more than
1000 miles; grey squirrels may nc seen roll
ilg about IN their cages like inCarnate quick
silver; while rabbits and guinca-pigS. without
number, gamb Jl their time away in their lit
tie wooden hutcLes. Within the booth a l.v-
ing centre ot all this living merchandise be-
h "a the m reliant closely escOnced I'm his
fe4Ihered seTts - aLy acceptable price. At
TN back Of tue booth, be sure, there hlngs a
sanity picture Of some sort, its litJic Lamp
shedding cheerful light % guard the fe8th
cred crowd against the evil influence Of H.
trudiu, demons; but there are evil spint> that
the good saint cannot Danish. Man is there
To hold In chslns or to sentence q death ac-
cOrding as il may suit his calculations Of pro-
III. or the capriceS uf his pa.ate. On she!v-s
around are ranged the trpplie1 II al, ma der
Gus tribe, and the northern Swans, the heath
cocks, (rfytShtki) aud snOw-wnite partri Ices
tk"5apatkt) are piled up under the very az
from which the captive larks warblc their
liquid notes.
II is astonishing what a quantity of these
oirds are yearly consumed at the luxuri,us
tables oi St. Petersburg. In winter the cold
keeps the meat fresh, AID at the same time
facilitates ITS conveyance to market Tho
NPartndseS cume mostly from Sarat.,f. the
swans from Finland, LlVunia and Estho7ia
supply heatEc cks and grouse, and the wiU
steipes must furnish the tramp geese which
nutter over their endless plains where IN.
CJsSach hunts them on horseback, and kills
them with his formidlb wAip. All these
birds as soon as the !if,-blood has flown. are
converted iItO stone 10y the frost. and packed
up In huge chests, are seLt for safe To the CAP
ltdl nole slcdge loads Of snUW-white harcs
hhd Their way to the market; the htt!c ani-
mals are usually frozen IN a running position.
with their ears pointed. and their leg stretch
ed out before and behind, and when placed ,n
the ground, look, at the fast glance, as II they
were Ia the act of escaping from the hunter.
Bear IL sh IL also sometimes offered for sale
m tits rket; and here and there NAV b.,
seen frozen reindy er lying in the SHOW by the
SIDE OF booth, Its hairy S..OGt stretched forth
upon the ground, its knees doubled up under
It's body, anu its dntlers rising maiesrically
into the arr Al looks as n. On oUr approaching
IL, II would Sprll.s ap ana dash away once
more L search OF - native forests The
mighty Elk, LAewisc. l. no rare guest in TINS
ma kot, where 1t palIeutiy pres nts it, horns
as per n FOR t.o pigeons that are fu,eriug
about, til., little by little, the axe and tho
saw have left 10 fragment of the stately AMI
NAL, but every part of it has gone its way into
the Kitchen OF the wealthy.
SIMILAR markets for birds and game Will be
found m every 'lrse Russian .ity Indeed
the habits and fashions of the Russian mar
hets are completely national. Those on Nos
COW vary but ..ttle from those Of Tobolsk:
and Trk-utSh, OieEsa. and Archangel nave
shown themselves equally scrvilo ia their imi-
tdtion Of the metropolitan baElsrs