A SUMMER VOYAGE 15 



under the elm. I had refreshing slumher thence- 

 forth, and the birds were astir in the morning long 

 before I was. 



There is one way, at least, in which the denud- 

 ing the country of its forests has lessened the rain- 

 fall: in certain conditions of the atmosphere every 

 tree is a great condenser of moisture, as I had just 

 observed in the case of the old elm; little showers 

 are generated in their branches, and in the aggre- 

 gate the amount of water precipitated in this way 

 is considerable. Of a foggy summer morning one 

 may see little puddles of water standing on the 

 stones beneath maple-trees, along the street; and 

 in winter, when there is a sudden change from cold 

 to warm, with fog, the water fairly runs down the 

 trunks of the trees, and streams from their naked 

 branches. The temperature of the tree is so much 

 below that of the atmosphere in such cases that the 

 condensation is very rapid. In lieu of these arboreal 

 rains we have the dew upon the grass, but it is 

 doubtful if the grass ever drips as does a tree. 



The birds, I say, were astir in the morning before 

 I was, and some of them were more wakeful through 

 the night, unless they sing in their dreams. At 

 this season one may hear at intervals numerous bird 

 voices during the night. The whip-poor-will was 

 piping when I lay down, and I still heard one when 

 I woke up after midnight. I heard the song spar- 

 row and the kingbird also, like watchers calling the 

 hour, and several times I heard the cuckoo. In- 

 deed, I am convinced that our cuckoo is to a con- 



