88 SYLVAN WINTER. 



In tlie rigid Holly the snow is caught at a thou- 

 sand points by the curled and prickly leaves, and 

 though the freight be heavy, the tree stands erect 

 and firm, its dark-green colour showing vividly 

 out from the folds of its crystalline mantle. In 

 the broader-leaved Laurel, a larger, yet softer and 

 more pliant foundation is provided, and the stems 

 are often bent to the ground under their superin- 

 cumbent weight. Yet still some spots of green 

 are left to set ofE in contrast the white, enveloping 

 shroud ; and numberless evergreens, ranging in 

 the size and texture of their leaves from extremes 

 to intermediate forms, give rise to almost count- 

 less variations in their snow-storm spectacle. 



But it is upon the naked forms of trees that the 

 snow-crystals are displayed with the most striking 

 effects ; for the flakes adhere more readily to 

 the rougher surfaces of the leafless twigs and 

 branches than to the more or less smooth and 

 glossy sides of leaves. The absence of foliage 

 exposes .to the influence of the white, fairy-like 

 enchantment tens of thousands of little points of 

 vantage ; and beautiful as at all times is the 

 ramification of a tree when seen in its full per- 



