202 THE CANADIAN NATURALIST. 



out a portion of its caloric to the air at its surface, the strata 

 of which, as they become heated, rise in little waves or 

 ripples. The same thing may be seen around the pipe of a 

 heated stove in our rooms, arising from the very same 

 cause. 



C. — Let us stay, and again admire the beautiful river, 

 so calmly flowing : how brightly is the furnace-glow of the 

 western sky imaged in the smooth mirror ; every twig of 

 the overhanging birches, every leaf of the quivering poplars, 

 is perfectly reflected. Every now and then a trout snaps at 

 some unfortunate fly, but makes so little splash that the re- 

 ceding circles scarcely break the surface. Clouds of gnats 

 are dancing in the evening beam, and here is a little cluster 

 of EphemercE, playing in mazy circles over the water which 

 has just given them birth, and which will presently be their 

 grave. 



F. — There is a great difference between the feelings 

 excited by the beginning and those by the termination of the 

 day. In the early mdrning, the brightening twilight, the 

 rosy east, the uprising sun, the dewy grass, the awakening 

 birds, all contribute to give an exhilaration and a gaiety to 

 the spirits, that impels us to shout and leap for mere joy- 



ousness of heart. How different are the feelings at 



this evening hour ! Although the setting sun is as bright 

 as the rising, the sky as gorgeous, and the appearance of 

 nature in most respects the same, yet there is an indescribable 

 touching of sadness and melancholy, which comes over the 

 spirit ere we are aware. Perhaps the difference exists more 

 in ourselves than in the external world ; perhaps there is an 

 unacknowledged tinge of weariness, a feeling of vanity in the 

 daily pursuits ; or, perhaps, there may be an unconscious 

 association of the departing day, with the passing away of 

 all earthly things. 



