MOUNTAINS AND HILLS 
231 
the color in such a way that it appears odd to 
oureyes. This is peculiarly true of the noon- 
day light, which flattens a dark stone-color to 
a silver-gray, and will turn a belt of pine 
timber from adark green toa pale blue. Fi- 
nally, there is always some difference in moun- 
tain appearance, dependent on the thickness or 
thinness of the atmosphere, to which must be 
added allowance for the distortion caused by 
the top of the mountain being usually ob- 
served through a thinner layer of air than the 
base. 
When all these features are considered, the 
mountain instead of being a steadfast, unvary- 
ing tower of rock is, to all appearance, one of 
nature’s fickle creations. It shifts countenance 
as many times in a day as the sky above it. One 
moment it is blue under direct light, the 
next it is green under cloud-light ; at dawn it 
is gray; at sunset it may be golden or even 
red ; atnightitis cold purple. The changes are 
less marked on a cloudy day, and a mountain’s 
bulk, height, and surface are seen to better 
advantage then—yes, even on a rainy day, when 
clouds are hanging about the peaks—than un- 
der sunlight. 
A hill, as we have already noted, may be a 
Influence of 
atmosphere. 
Light 
changes. 
