THE TERRORS OF THE WINTER. 



271 



latter days, when gentle spring is striving for 

 supremacy with the snow-crowned giant. Winter, 

 too, is a period of rest. Much of Nature seems 

 to sink to sleep through the tranquil autumn, and 

 the terrible ordeal of winter is passed in a death- 

 like trance. But the frost and the snow are 

 beneficial to the soil, and the cold braces all 

 organic life for the heats and the sultriness of 

 summer. Then comes the fitful awakening of 

 spring the resurrection of life, when the victory 

 over winter is celebrated with revel and with 

 song. 



So that, with all its terrors, the winter is by 

 no means devoid of interest ; the various habits 

 of birds and animals in adapting themselves to 

 its rigours and its hardships, the beauties of a 

 white slumbering world, the grandeur of the 

 tempest and the storm, are an endless source of 

 instruction and amusement to him who loves to 

 study Nature out of doors. 



