42 A STUDY OF LEAVES. 



DURATION. 



"Thou poor leaf, so sear and frail, 

 Sport of every wanton gale, 

 Whence and whither dost thou fly, 

 Through the bleak, autumnal sky ? " 



When they have finished their work, leaves com- 

 monly change to brilliant hues and loosen their 

 hold upon the twigs which they have served so 

 faithfully. Then the chilly winds sweep them to 

 the ground, and blow them to and fro, causing 

 them to rustle their own sad funeral knell. The 

 grief-laden sky, the mellow mists, the melancholy 

 moanings of the forest are, no doubt, Nature's ex- 

 pressions of grief at their departure. And even in 

 dying they do not forget their mission of blessing 

 the world, for by their decay the soil is revivified 

 and enriched. 



Leaves which drop after one season are decidu- 

 ous. Those which remain for several seasons, or 

 until new ones are formed, are persistent, and the 

 plant is evergreen. 



