INIRODUCTION. Xlll. 



principal figure of the meridian aspect during this 

 period. 



Weather. — The weather of this dark gloomy- 

 season is distinguished into the mild and moist, 

 and the frosty and cold ; which often alter- 

 nate, in the early part of the period the former 

 prevails, and is often accompanied with violent 

 gales of wind which prevail most in the night : 

 in the latter part of it, the severests frosts hap- 

 pen. The early part was called by the French, 

 Brumaire, the later was Nivose. We often en- 

 joy temporary calms, and a soft still delicious air, 

 called the Alcyon Days. 



Natural History. — The general aspect of 

 nature gets more and more forlorn, the woods by 

 degrees lose their remaining decayed leaves, which 

 fly about in the gale and cover the walks, avenues, 

 and ways with their carpeting. As winter ad- 

 vances, all is bleak and forlorn, and the appearance 

 of a covering of snow on the ground, and on all 

 the bare branches of the ti'ees, with long icicles 

 hanging fi'om every spout and guttei-, have often 

 a very curious effect : so has also the eifect of 

 sudden frost on floods, producing acres of field 

 ice for skating. 



Evergreens, such as the pine, the fir, the bay, 

 the laurel, the box, the la])urnum and others, are 

 now valual)le acquisitions, as well as the beauti- 

 fied addition of the bright red berries of the holjy, 



B 



