LEAFLESS WOODS. 19 



gracefulness and symmetry of the Beech, the 

 lightness and elegance of the Ash, the delicate 

 beauty of the Birch, and the contorted picturesque- 

 ness of the Hawthorn. Of these all, in turn, and 

 of many others, we shall speak in the succeeding 

 chapter. Here we take note only of the forest as 

 a whole, or of the wood or copse which forms 

 part of the forest. The individual tree can be 

 studied by itself in that detail which the interest 

 of the subject demands ; but to get a good and 

 comprehensive view of the whole so as to fully 

 appreciate the exceeding beauty of the forms un- 

 clothed by the mantling foliage of summer, not 

 only in themselves, but in their relations to others, 

 it is through leafless woods that the inquirer 

 must direct his steps. 



c 2 



