24 AUTUMNAL LEAVES. 



see such sources of innocent and, at the same 

 time, exalted pleasure so much neglected, or 

 rather quite unsuspected, even by people who 

 linger lovingly over roses and camellias. I had 

 to learn the little I know of trees under very 

 disheartening circumstances. Nobody appeared 

 to know or care what this or that tree was. . . . 

 I had dreamt, as an almost impossible delight, of 

 the publishing, by some expert, of accurate, tinted 

 delineations of leaves ; and your illustrations are 

 almost equal to Nature. Since I have had your 

 book (only in the beginning of this year) I often 

 bring home a score or so of different leaves, and 

 sit down with " OUR WOODLAND TREES" for the pure 

 delight of examining their dainty minutiae.' . . . 

 It is unquestionably in the c dainty minutiaB ' 

 of leaves that their charm lies, and it is also the 

 ' dainty minutise ' which are altogether unob- 

 served and unappreciated by those who simply 

 look at foliage in the mass. Beautiful and im- 

 pressive as masses of colour appear arranged 

 and shaded and subject to the gradations and 

 contrasts of wild Nature there is greater beauty 

 and more elaboration of loveliness apparent, on 



