6 THE BOOK OF NATURE STUDY 



the contrast between the persistent winter mantle of snow over 

 the great plains of the Continent, and the brown earth we see 

 around us. 



Tell them of the snow-caps on Mars, and how the astronomers 

 see them spreading in winter and shrinking in summer, and how 

 if there are astronomers in Mars with telescopes, they must equally 

 be able to see the eternal ice and snow of the north Pole slowly 

 spreading downwards as our winter comes on, until it envelopes 

 the greater part of northern Europe and Asia. Let them think 

 of this spreading veil as stretching far over Northern Asia, and 

 parts of Europe, but failing to conquer, except for short periods, 

 the western European sea-board, and leaving as it were, a brown 

 streak uncovered in the region of Great Britain. If this can be 

 done, if the appeal is made first to the imagination, then the state- 

 ment in the geography books that Great Britain has " an insular 

 climate " will not be so meaningless as it is to the majority of 

 persons who have learnt this fact at school. 



Again, in spring, if day by day the children record on the 

 school almanack their simple observations on the weather, it is easy 

 to bring out the fact that our spring comes slowly, and is treacher- 

 ous and fluctuating. Our winters are not cold, but our summers 

 are not hot, and therefore the contest between the forces of spring 

 and those of winter is very equal, now the one now the other gains 

 the mastery; the buds which were tempted to unfold in March 

 may be blasted in April, a warm April may be followed by a bitter 

 May. Again, contrast with the sudden glorious triumph of the con- 

 tinental spring, victorious once for all over the forces of winter. 

 Show by a quotation from some great author the deep mantle 

 of snow which over the northern parts of continental Europe 

 buries all plant life until the warm wind blows and it melts once 

 for all, allowing the buds to unfold with a rush ; tell of the bands 

 of children in the German towns who go round the town singing 

 when the storks come back. Explain that though we may share 

 their emotion in seeing the first swallow circle in the air, yet though 

 we gain some birds in spring we lose many that those who 

 have wintered here leave us for the summer. But, and this is the 

 point, begin with the simple weather observations, and do not 

 till this has been done take the wider flight. As our object 



