FEBKUARY. 35 



ing it on its passage. The crystals thus formed around 

 the twigs, and the icicles hanging by thousands from 

 the buds and extremities of the branches, form so many 

 prisms, which by refracting the rays of the sun, as they 

 gleam through the trees, present all the colors of the 

 rainbow, and like the beads in a kaleidoscope, yield a 

 new combination of forms and hues, with every change 

 in the position of the beholder. 



When the sun is bright, and the air is sufficiently 

 cold to prevent the melting of the icicles, and a gentle 

 wind is blowing, the twigs are kept in constant agita- 

 tion, sparkling like the gems in the fringe and tassels of 

 a chandelier. A spectacle so beautiful amidst the deso- 

 lation of winter scenery, becomes immediately attrac- 

 tive to every beholder. When the trees are full of blos- 

 soms, though more interesting to the true lover of nature, 

 they have less of that glittering splendor which is more 

 productive of the mere physical sensation of beauty. 



These incrustations of the forest, unless they overload 

 and break down the trees, are not unproductive of ben- 

 efit. By their weight and brittleness they cause the 

 greater part of the dry and rotten twigs to break off 

 and fall to the ground. Hence they may be regarded 

 as so many pruning instruments, provided by nature, 

 for the purpose of separating the decayed and useless 

 branches from the tree, and other substances which are 

 an impediment to its growth. While the sound twigs 

 are enabled by their elasticity to yield to the force of 

 the winds, the dry twigs snap off with the icicles as 

 often as they are shaken by the breeze. After one of 

 these operations of nature, you may find large quanti- 

 ties of little dry branches lying under the trees, as 

 thickly spread as the fallen leaves in November. These 

 incrustations produce another beneficial effect upon the 



