SIGNS AND SEASONS 



A SHARP LOOKOUT 



/~\ISrE has only to sit down in the woods or fields, 

 ^-^ or by the shore of the river or lake, and nearly 

 everything of interest will come round to him, 

 the birds, the animals, the insects; and presently, 

 after his eye has got accustomed to the place, and 

 to the light and shade, he will probably see some 

 plant or flower that he had sought in vain for, and 

 that is a pleasant surprise to him. So, on a large 

 scale, the student and lover of nature has this 

 advantage over people who gad up and down the 

 world, seeking some novelty or excitement; he has 

 only to stay at home and see the procession pass. 

 The great globe swings around to him like a revolv- 

 ing showcase; the change of the seasons is like 

 the passage of strange and new countries; the zones 

 of the earth, with all their beauties and marvels, 

 pass one's door, and linger long in the passing. 

 What a voyage is this we make without leaving foi 

 a night our own fireside ! St. Pierre well says that 

 a sense of the power and mystery of nature shall 



