120 SYLVAN WINTER. 



scarcely occur that fog is, in reality, nothing more 

 than cloud, and that cloud is nothing more than 

 fog. Those who ascend high enough on moun- 

 tains to enter the region of cloud, know that the 

 appearance is exactly the same as that of a fog. 

 Both are fog, and both cloud — the different name 

 merely indicating the difference of origin ; cloud 

 originating in the higher regions of the air, and 

 fog in the lower, close against the earth. The 

 condensation by contact of cold air currents 

 with the moisture which is always, more or less, 

 invisibly floating in the atmosphere, causes it to 

 become visible, and, according to its abundance, 

 to more or less obscure our perception of the 

 objects between which and our sight it occurs. 



The beauty caused by cloud is universally 

 admired. The varied forms of the aerial fog, 

 and the play of light upon it, give rise to ever- 

 changing loveliness. The grovelling mist, how- 

 ever, has features of beauty which require to be 

 seen under varying circumstances to be fully 

 appreciated. The veil of suggestive mystery 

 which it throws over the landscape is often 

 delightful. The softening of glaring light, the 



