A NATURALIST. 101 



of thunder, and the blazing glare of the lightning, the 

 unfortunate wanderer hears around him the^crash of nu- 

 merous trees hurled down by the storm, and knows not 

 but the next may be precipitated upon him. More than 

 once have I witnessed all the grandeur, dread, and deso- 

 lation of such a scene, and have always found safety 

 either by seeking as quickly as possible a spot where 

 there were none but young trees, or if on the main road 

 choosing the most open and exposed situation out of the 

 reach of the large trees. There, seated on my horse, 

 who seemed to understand the propriety of such patience, 

 I would quietly remain, however thoroughly drenched, 

 until the fury of the wind was completely over. To 

 say nothing of the danger from falling trees, the peril 

 of being struck by the lightning, which so frequently 

 shivers the loftiest of them, is so great as to render any 

 attempt to advance at such time highly imprudent. 



Like the ox among animals, the pine tree may be 

 looked upon as one of the most universally useful of the 

 sons of the forest. For all sorts of building, for firewood, 

 tar, turpentine, rosin, lampblack, and a vast variety of 

 other useful products, this tree is invaluable to man. 

 Nor is it a pleasing contemplation, to one who knows it< 

 usefulness, to observe to how vast an amount it is annu- 

 ally destroyed in this country, beyond the proportion that 

 nature can possibly supply. However, we are not dis- 

 posed to believe that this evil will ever be productive of 



