336 A Frosty Night. 



What immense vapors may then arise from the sur- 

 face of the ocean ! 



Sometimes a winter's morning is, I tliink, ahnost 

 as beautiful as summer, when the ice is thick with the 

 sharp frost, and the sun shines in a blue sky free 

 from clouds. One such morning, while putting on my 

 skates, I happened to look up, and^ was surprised to 

 see a bird of unusual appearance, and large size, soar- 

 ing slowly over head. I immediately recognized an 

 eagle ; and that was the solitary occasion on which 

 I ever saw one here. The bird remained in sight 

 some time, and flnalh- left, going south-east towards 

 the sun. 



On the afternoon of the day before the beginning 

 of the frost the wind gradually sinks, and the dead 

 leaves which have been blown to and fro settle in 

 corners and sheltered places. As the sun sets all is 

 still, and there is a sense of freshness in the air. 

 Then the logs of wood thrown on the fire burn 

 bright and clear — the surface of a burning log breaks 

 up into small irregular squares ; and the old folks 

 shake their heads and say, ' It will freeze.' As the 

 evening advances the hoofs of horses passing by on 

 the road give out a sharp sound — a sign that the 

 mud is rapidly hardening. The grass crunches 

 under foot, and in the morning the elms are white 

 with rime ; icicles hang from the thatch, and the 

 ponds are frozen. 



But there is nothing so uncertain as frost : it may 

 thaw, and even rain, within a few hours ; and, on the 

 other hand, even after raining in the afternoon, it 

 may clear up about midnight, and next morning the 

 ice will be a quarter of an inch thick. Sometimes it 



