FEBRUARY. 97 



lifeless. Hence on a winter's ramble, when there is no snow 

 upon the ground, our attention is fixed, not only upon the 

 lichens and evergreens, but likewise on the bright purple glow 

 that proceeds from every plat of living shrubbery which is 

 spread out in the wild. This appearance is beautiful by contrast 

 with the dull sombre hues of the surrounding faded herbage, 

 and it is likewise strongly suggestive of the life and vigor of 

 nature. It is the vivid hue of health, and entirely unlike 

 the hue of the same plants if they were dead or dying. It 

 is not necessary that we should have meditated upon this 

 idea, in order to be affected by it. We are all unconscious 

 physiognomists of the face of nature ; and over a wide tract 

 of country, were the vegetation blasted in autumn by some 

 secret pestilence that had destroyed its vitality, its whole as- 

 pect would be such as to sadden every beholder, though un- 

 aware of the fatal event. As the human face in sleep wears 

 the glow, if not the animation of waking life — so the face 

 of nature, in her hyemal sleep, has a glow that harmonizes 

 with our feelings and with our sense of universal beauty. 



The wild wood is always full of instruction for those who 

 are mindful either of its general aspects or its minuter de- 

 tails ; and a ramble on a pleasant winter's day produces on 

 the mind an invigorating effect that might be used as a safe- 

 guard against mental depression. The landscape, when un- 

 disfigured by art, is never without beauty, and the woods are 

 always redolent of sweet odors that assist in perfecting the 

 illusions that arise from agreeable sights. While the exercise 

 thus partaken in the open air strengthens the body and im- 

 proves the health, the objects presented for our contemplation 

 are tonic and exhilarant in their action on the mind. What- 

 ever may be the season of the year, to the student of science 

 as well as to the lover of beauty something is always pre- 

 sented to fix his attention or awaken his admiration, and he 

 seldom returns from a woodland ramble without increased 

 cheerfulness and satisfaction with the world. 



VOL. XXI. NO. II. 13 



