RED-LEGGED CRANES. 21 



I liave heard Russians seriously contend that, 

 next to Paris, it is the finest city in the 

 world. A more mathematically ugly town, 

 with straig-ht streets of cold, cheerless-lookinof 

 houses, could not by any chance be set on 

 the hideous dusty flat which surrounds it. 

 Outside Odessa the scene is more ugly than 

 that withm its walls, for the monotony of 

 colour and intense flatness continues, ^^hile 

 life apparently ceases altogether. 



This year, owing to the extreme heat, 

 every particle of vegetation had been dried 

 up : tliere were no quails, owing (the people 

 said) to the failure of the crops ; and the 

 only live things between Troitsky and Odessa 

 seemed to us to be a few solemn-lookinsf, red- 

 lesfofed cranes, in half-mournino- stalkingf about 

 in search of the lively frog, who was not. 

 These birds have a free pass everywhere, nnd 

 no reckless sportsman or mischievous urchin 

 ventures to molest them. Each of the old 



