4 THE PIGEON-FANCIER. 



the vapours of the earth in the gentle dew and 

 genial shower, and pour down upon the fields 

 those fertilising streams which are the life of 

 vegetation, and consequently the life of man and 

 beast. Could not this be accomplished in some 

 uninteresting, unbeautiful, and even repulsive 

 manner ? The Creator might have stretched 

 over us great black clouds, and caused them to 

 empty themselves in a monotonous drizzle, and 

 after their work was done He might make the 

 manner of their removal as revolting to our feel- 

 ings. But now see the beauty and the splendour 

 of their handling ! See the clouds in the morn- 

 ing when they bar up the road of the merry sun 

 and ask for his passage a toll of gold ! See 

 them at night when they trip up the feet of the 

 nimble moonbeams and detain the silver huntress 

 from the chase ! See them on a bright summer 

 afternoon loitering as fancy leads them in light- 

 some groups across the vault of blue ! And 

 see them on an autumnal evening burning in 

 fiery splendours, yet not consumed, as the sun 

 sinks on the western horizon, crimsoning the 

 earth and the heavens with the reflection of 

 their fiery glory, and ask yourself, as you watch 

 the beauty in their formation and the poetry in 

 their movements, whether it all means nothing, 



