SPRING IN THE ALPS 11 



first and foremost because it is more balmy, homely, 

 and reposeful than an Alpine spring. A cat does 

 not rank lower than a dog because the waving of 

 its tail is less homely and reposeful than the 

 wagging of a dog's tail. It is of small use, and it 

 leads to great injustice, to conduct comparison 

 upon such lines as these. Both the dog and the 

 cat stand equally right in the use of their tails ; and 

 both the English spring and the Alpine spring are 

 equally lovely, though cast in somewhat different 

 moulds. 



No ; it is best not to attempt comparison. Let 

 us study differences if we will, but leave comparisons 

 alone. What has been called ' the quiet bandbox 

 scenery of cultivated England ' lends itself to a 

 very distinctive exposition of spring-time delights. 

 Scenes such as depicted with so much truth and 

 humour by W. H. Dnimmond, the poet of the 

 Canadian Habitants ; scenes such as — 



' Wen small sheep is firs"^ comin' out on de pasture, 

 Deir nice leetle tail stickin' up on deir back, 

 Dey ronne wit' deir moder, an' play wit' each oder. 

 An' jomp all de tam jus' de sam' dey was crack ! 



' An' ole cow also, she's glad winter is over, 



So she kick herse'f up, an' start off on de race 

 Wit' de two-year-ole heifer, dat's purty soon lef her — 

 W'y ev'ryt'ings crazee all over de place.' 



