HARVARD COLLEGE LIBRARY COPYRIGHT, 1898, BY SILVER, BURDETT & COMPANY. TYPOGRAPHY BY C. J. PETERS & SON, BOSTON. PRESSWORK BY BERWICK & SMITH. NATURE. ATURE never did betray NA The heart that loved her: 'tis her privilege, William Wordsworth. PREFACE. PERHAPS ERHAPS the most potent agency in fostering a love nature, next to direct "communion with her visible forms," is found in the eloquent tributes of the poets, whose sympathetic interpretation of her "various language" has a peculiar charm, especially for young people, from their instinctive delight in rhyme and rhythm. POETRY OF THE SEASONS is designed for grammar schools and for home libraries. Its predecessor, NATURE IN VERSE, a poetry reader for primary grades, has been acceptably used by thousands of teachers and pupils, and there have been numerous requests for a companion volume for older readers. It is believed that teachers and school boards will appreciate the assistance which this book cannot fail to render as a supplement to nature study in the grammar grades. It will perform a double mission, in stimulating the love of nature, and in familiarizing its readers with some of the choicest forms of pastoral and lyric poetry. The selections have been made with great care from a large number of the best English and American authors. They treat of the seasons, their varied phenomena, their characteristic flora; the habits of birds and other animals; the wonders of the earth, sea, and air; together with correlated lessons on order, industry, etc. The arrangement enables the teacher to follow the outline of work suggested by spring, summer, autumn, and winter during the school |