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234 TROPICAL NATUREand a beauty that can never be forgotten. All nature seemsrefreshed and strengthened by the coolness and moisture ofthe past night ;new leaves and buds unfold almost before theeye, and fresh shoots may often be observed to have grownmany inches since the preceding day. The temperature is themost delicious conceivable. The slightchill of early dawn,which was itself agreeable, is succeeded by an invigoratingwarmth ;and the intense sunshine lights up the gloriousvegetation of the tropics, and realises all that the magic art ofthe painter or the glowing words of the poet have pictured astheir ideals of terrestrial beauty.The Aspect of the Equatorial HeavensWithin the limits of the equatorial zone the noonday sun istruly vertical twice every year, and for several months it passesso near the zenith that the difference can hardly be detectedwithout careful observation of the very short shadows of verticalobjects. The absence of distinct horizontal shadows at noon,which thus characterises a considerable part of the year, isitself a striking phenomenon to an inhabitant of the temperatezones ;and equally striking is the changed aspect of the starryheavens. The grand constellation Orion passes verticallyoverhead, while the Great Bear is only to be seen low downin the northern heavens, and the Pole star either appears closeto the horizon or has altogether disappeared, according as weare north or south of the equator. Towards the south theSouthern Cross, the Magellanic clouds, and the jet-black" " coal sacks are the most conspicuous objects invisible in ournorthern latitudes. The same cause that brings the sunoverhead in its daily march equally affects the planets, whichappear high up towards the zenith far more frequently thanwith us, thus affording splendid opportunities for telescopicobservation.Intensity of Meteorological Phenomena at the EquatorThe excessive violence of meteorological phenomena generallysupposed to be characteristic of the tropics is not by anymeans remarkable in the equatorial zone. Electrical disturbancesare much more frequent, but not generally more violentthan in the temperate regions. The wind-storms are rarely