244 AUTUMN WOODS. 



purple ; from turrets of rocks embroidered with ferns and 

 sumach ; from old winding roads and lanes, hedged with 

 a countless variety of gleaming shrubs, and rustic cot- 

 tages half covered with scarlet creeper, down to the crim- 

 son patches of whortleberry-bushes, on the plains and in 

 the valleys, — all is serenity and beauty. 



I have often observed that the autumn woods never 

 present that picture of gloom which is so manifest in 

 them on a cloudy day in summer. In one respect the 

 foliage itself is luminous, presenting warm colors that 

 reflect Ught, so that the interior of a wood is actually 

 brightened by the tinting of the leaves. I find but little 

 pleasure in an evergreen wood at this time, unless it 

 is niuminated by an occasional ' group of deciduous 

 trees. Autumn is a sad time of the year, — the season 

 of parting with all that was delightful in summer. The 

 darkness of the atmosphere is even greater than in winter, 

 when the earth is whitened by snow. We hail these 

 warm tints of the woods, therefore, as a beneficent offering 

 of nature for the refreshment of our spirits. All these 

 things are beautiful even in cloudy weather, but the sun 

 greatly enlivens the colors of the foliage, particularly 

 when it goes down in a clear atmosphere, and every ob- 

 ject is garnished with its beams, and mingles with golden 

 reflections from hundreds of cottage windows. We watch 

 their evanescent lights as they fade in the valleys and 

 linger on the hill-tops, until t-fidlight veils the scene in 

 colorless shadow. 



Though every one admires the beauty of autumn woods, 

 not many are aware how imperfect are the colors that 

 make up this gorgeous pageant. We speak of the scarlet 

 and crimson of the maple, the oak, and the tupelo, and of 

 many shrubs that equal them in brilliancy. But there is 

 very little pure scarlet, crimson, or purple among these 

 tints. If it were otherwise they would afford us less 



