SPRING. 49 
rises higher and higher in his daily circuit, and 
his life-giving rays communicate warmth and 
vigour to all creation. Animals shake off their 
winter’s sleep, and come abroad out of their lairs. 
Birds re-appear as if by magic,—for we scarcely 
know where they all go to during the dark 
Winter season,—and while they seek out their 
mates, fill the fresh air with music. The surface 
of the river moves again, and begins to be broken 
into rings by the dancing flies and leaping fish. 
Does the tree remain asleep while all creation is 
awaking? Far from it. 
The young buds cast off their thick Winter 
coats, knowing that Summer is nigh at hand; 
and as we watch the topmost of them, we may 
see them turgid with juice, and ready to burst 
into all the luxuriance of Spring. As they in- 
crease in size they unfold themselves, and in a 
little while we altogether lose the form of the 
bud in the elegantly veined and now fully ex- 
panded leaves. The same process takes place on 
every branch; bud after bud disappears, to give 
place to the beautiful young leaves ; and Spring, as 
it advances, finds that the once barren and appa- 
rently withered object, that looked as if insensible 
E 
