176 THE BEAUTIES OF NATURE chap. 



Again in winter, though no doubt the 

 living tenants of the woods are much less 

 numerous, many of our birds being then far 

 away in the dense African forests, on the 

 other hand those which remain are much 

 more easily visible. We can follow the birds 

 from tree to tree, and the Squirrel from 

 bough to bough. 



It requires little imagination to regard 

 trees as conscious beings, indeed it is almost 

 an effort not to do so. 



" The various action of trees rooting them- 

 selves in inhospitable rocks, stooping to look 

 into ravines, hiding from the search of glacier 

 winds, reaching forth to the rays of rare sun- 

 shine, crowding down together to drink at 

 sweetest streams, climbing hand in hand 

 among the difficult slopes, opening in sudden 

 dances among the mossy knolls, gathering 

 into companies at rest among the fragrant 

 fields, gliding in grave procession over the 

 heavenward ridges — nothing of this can be 

 conceived among the unvexed and unvaried 

 felicities of the lowland forest; while to all 

 these direct sources of greater beauty are 



