RAIN AND SNOW 
105 
possibly prevented it from having anything like 
a crust upon it, and the first sweep of wind 
raises its light particles in the air to join the 
new-comers. ‘I'he total result is blinding and 
confusing to the wayfarer. The air is full of 
flashing, dashing flakes, and one can see no 
farther in the maze than in a dense fog—often 
not so far. All landmarks, roadways, and trails 
are obscured in a few minutes, and people per- 
ish in such storms through losing their way and 
being overcome by the cold, the wind, and the 
driving snow. 
Once fallen, a mantle of snow produces the 
most decided change in the appearance of the 
earth, excepting the change from night to day, 
of which we have knowledge. The earth is 
naturally a light-absorber. It drinks in sun- 
light and reflects just as little as possible, so that 
its general appearance is comparatively dark, 
with sheets of water showing here and there as 
spots of white. When snow covers the ground 
the appearance is reversed, and such objects as 
trees and bare rocks appear merely as spots and 
patches of dark upon the white. The inten- 
sity of this white is common knowledge. It is 
a bluish-white and much lighter than the clouds 
casting it forth. This is largely for a reason 
The 
white cover. 
