VIII 



A SHARP LOOKOUT 



One has only to sit down in the woods 

 or fields, or by the shore of the river or 

 lake, and nearly everything of interest will 

 come round to him, — the birds, the animals, 

 the insects ; and presently, after his eye has 

 got accustomed to the place, and to the light 

 and shade, he will probably see some plant 

 or flower that he had sought in vain for, and 

 that is a pleasant surprise to him. So, on a 

 large scale, the student and lover of nature 

 has this advantage over people who gad up 

 and down the world, seeking some novelty 

 or excitement ; he has only to stay at home 

 and see the procession pass. The great 

 globe swings around to him like a revolving 

 showcase ; the change of the seasons is like 

 the passage of strange and new countries ; 

 the zones of the earth, with all their beauties 

 anc^marvels, pass one's door and linger long 

 in the passing. What a voyage is this we 

 make without leaving for a night our own 

 fireside ! St. Pierre well says that a sense 

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