Moscow is famed for its cocks, and here the Moscow cock may be seen proudly stalking about, in cages and out of them. The best pigeons are said to come from Novgorod, and Finland furnishes the chief supply of singing birds. Geese are brought even from the confines of China, to be sold as rarities in the Tshukin Dvor, after a journey of more than 4000 miles. Grey squirrels may be seen rolling about in their cages like incarnate quicksilver ; while rabbits and guinea-pigs without number gambol their time away in their little wooden hutches. Within the bootli, a living centre of all this living merchandise, behold the merchant, closely ensconced in his wolfskin, and ready to dispose of his little feathered serfs at any acceptable price. At the back of the booth, be sure, there hangs a saintly picture of some sort, its little lamp shedcUng a cheerful light to guard the feathered crowd against the evil influence of intruding demons ; but there are evil spirits that the good saint cannot banish. JNIan is there, to hold in chains or to sentence to death, according as it may suit his calculations of profit, or the caprices of his palate. On shelves around are ranged tlie trophies of his murderous tube, and the northern swans, the heathcocks (reptshiki), and the snow-white partridges kurapatki\ are piled up under the very cages from wliich the captive larks warble their liquid notes.
It is astonishing what a quantity of these birds are yearly consumed at the luxurious tables of St. Petersburg. In winter the cold keeps the meat fresh, and at the same time facilitates its conveyance to market. The partridges come mostly from Saratoff, the swans from Finland ; Livonia and Esthonia supply heath-cocks and grouse, and the wide steppes must furnish the trapp geese which flutter over their endless plains, where the Co sack hunts them on horseback, and kills them with his formidable whip. All these birds, as soon as the life-blood has flown, are converted into stone by the frost, and, packed up in huge chests, are sent for sale to the capital. Whole sledge-loads of snow-white hares find their way to the market. The little animals are usually frozen in a running position, with their ears pointed, and their legs stretched out before and behind, and, when placed on the ground, look, at the Hrst glance, as if they were in the act of escaping from the hunter. Bear's flesh also is sometimes offered for sale in this market, aud here and there may be seen a frozen reindeer lying in the snow by the side of a booth, its hairy snout stretched forth upon the ground, its knees doubled up under its body, and its antlere rising majestically into the air. It looks as if, on our approaching it, it would spring up, and dash away once more in search of its native forests. The mighty elk, likewise, is no rare guest in this market, where it patiently presents its antlers as a perch for the pigeons that are fluttering about, till, little by little, the axe and the saw have left no fragment of the stately animal, but every part of it has gone its way into the kitchens of the wealthy.
Similar markets for birds and game will be found in every large Russian city. Indeed the habits and fashions of the Russian markets are completely national. Those of Moscow vary but little from those of Tobolsk ; and Irkhutsk, Odessa, and Archangel have showTi themselves equally servile in their imitation of the metropolitan bazaars.
From the Gostinnoi Dvor, as has already been said, the booths and stalls of the merchants are planted along the sides of the Sadova'ia, or Gardenstreet, to a considerable distance. After passing a row of toy-shops we come to the booksellers, — that is to say, to the venders of Russian literature ; for the German and French booksellers, a-s dealers in foreign merchandise, have their locality in the Prospekt.
Next come the dealers in cloth, a seemingly interminable succession of booths, hung w'ith all kinds of cloths and draperies, that the half darkness within may be less likely to betray the worthlessness of the merchant's wares.