Cbe Sfcs anD its Color. 139 



moisture floating in the air. If the sky is 

 blue, then the globules must be of the right di- 

 ameter to reflect that color. The various tints 

 and colorings of the sky are determined by 

 what is found in the atmosphere, and this is 

 the reason why skies differ in coloring and 

 tone in different sections of the globe. The 

 finest skies are probably found in semi-tropical 

 regions like southern Italy, Greece, and Cali- 

 fornia. 



In 1892 I visited Greece in the early part of 

 June. In crossing the Adriatic, from Brin- 

 disi to Patras in Greece, the route was through 

 the Ionian Islands that are grouped along the 

 southwestern shore of Albania. The sky was 

 without a cloud, and its beautiful blue color 

 was reflected in the waters of the Adriatic, and 

 I never shall forget the impression made upon 

 my senses when we first came in sight of the 

 mountains on the west coast of Albania. At 

 this point they rise abruptly from the water 

 and are colored with that peculiar azure haze, 

 mixed with a shading of warmth, which is an 

 effect that distance gives in the classic atmos- 

 phere of old Greece. The effect upon the be- 

 holder is to intoxicate the senses and to fill 

 him with that deliciously poetic feeling that 

 always comes when standing in the presence 

 of the sublime in nature. It was not the 

 mountains themselves that produced the effect, 

 for I had seen grander than these; but it was 



