Dre] AND SYMBOLS. 95 



and winged, leads but a trembling and precarious life. Superior 

 to all others in power of flight and vision as in daring, his life 

 is uncertain, and he would die of hunger had he not the 

 industry to create for himself a purveyor whom he cheats of his 

 food. His ignoble resource is to attack a dull and timorous 

 bird, the noddy, famous as a fisher. The frigate-bird, which is 

 of no larger dimensions, pursues him, strikes him on the neck 

 with his beak, and compels him to yield up his prey. All this 

 takes place in the air ; before the fish can fall he catches it on 

 its passage. Such is the character, and such are the drawbacks 

 in the condition of the beautiful bird which at first sight 

 appeared to be a noble type of a grand existence. The biography 

 of many a man whom we admire suggests numerous reflections 

 which are similar to those which the story of this bird-life 

 furnishes. 



Boyhood's Dreams and Time's Silver-Thaw. 



Nothing produced by the magic touch of winter can excel a 

 phenomenon which may often be seen in the woods of some 

 transatlantic countries, where it is familiarly called silver-thaw. 

 It is caused by rain descending when the stratum of air nearest 

 the earth is below 32 deg., and consequently freezing the instant 

 it touches any object. The ice accumulates with every drop of 

 rain, until a transparent, glassy coating is formed on the shrubs 

 and trees ; the effect is magical, and reminds one of fairy scenes 

 described in Oriental fables. Every little twig, every branch, 

 every leaf, every blade of grass, is enshrined in crystal ; the whole 

 forest is composed of sparkling, transparent glass, even to the 

 minute leaves of the pines and firs. The sun shines out. What 

 a glitter of light ! How the beams, broken, as it were, into 

 ten thousand fragments, sparkle and dance as they are reflected 

 from the trees ! Yet it is as fragile as beautiful. A slight 

 shock from a rude hand is sufficient to destroy it. The air is 

 filled with a descending shower of the glittering fragments, and 

 the spell is broken at once. It is a representation of the visions 

 of boyhood vanishing in Time's silver-thaw. At first they are 

 full of pure splendours, all loveliness, all allurements, all graces. 

 Time touches them with harsh hand, and they vanish from our 



