PAULOVSKOY. 
289 
Russian naturalists give a curious account of this CI ^ P - 
bird’s mode of fishing, assisted by the cormorant. ' «— 
The pelican extends its wings, and troubles the 
water; while the cormorant, diving to the bottom, 
drives the fish to the surface. Then the pelican, 
continuing the motion of its wings, advances 
towards the shore, where the fish are taken 
among the shallows. Afterwards, the cormorant, 
without further ceremony, helps himself out of 
the pelicans beak 1 . 
The principal trade carried on here is in Trade. 
tallow and fruit : the latter article, particularly 
the Water-Melon, is carried to Moscow and to 
Petersburg. They plant it in the open fields, 
where it covers whole acres of land. In the 
steppes near the town, we observed about thirty 
women hoeing a piece of uninclosed ground, for 
the culture of this delicious vegetable. That a 
plant, rarely in perfection anywhere, should 
thrive upon the rivers in this part of Russia, and 
in such a latitude, is very remarkable. Perhaps 
its flavour does not depend upon latitude. At 
Naples, although so highly esteemed, the Water- 
Melon seldom ripens. In Egypt it is even 
worse. Indeed, the only place where we 
have seen the Water-Melon attain its full 
(1) Journal des Savans Voyageurs, p. 144. 
VOL. I. U 
