212 THE BEAUTIES OF NATURE chap. 



loftier than if the whole mountain side is 

 visible. The gloom lends a weirdness and 

 mystery to the scene, while the flying clouds 

 give it additional variety. 



Rain, moreover, adds vividness to the 

 colouring. The leaves and grass become a 

 brighter green, " every sunburnt rock glows 

 into an agate," and when fine weather returns 

 the new snow gives intense brilliance, and 

 invests the woods especially with the beauty 

 of Fairyland. How often in alpine districts 

 does one long "for the wings of a dove," more 

 thoroughly to enjoy and more completely to 

 explore, the mysteries and recesses of the 

 mountains. The mind, however, can go, even 

 if the body must remain behind. 



Each hour of the day has a beauty of its 

 own. The mornings and evenings again glow 

 with different and even richer tints. 



In mountain districts the cloud effects are 

 brighter and more varied than in flatter 

 regions. The morning and evening tints are 

 seen to the greatest advantage, and clouds 

 floating high in the heavens sometimes glitter 

 with the most exquisite iridescent hues 



