The sunlight flashed on the rippling burn at their feet; the leaves of the Birches trembled, and no more than trembled, in the still air; the deep, clear blue of the sky overhead told them to be in no hurry-they would have to wait till the afternoon for clouds.
"Prince Fortunatus"
William Black
Down in the glen, it is true, everything was pretty enough-the silver-gray rocks, the rushing brown water, the banks hanging with Birches; but far away on those upland heights there was nothing but the monotonous deep purple of the heather, broken here and there, perhaps, by a dark-green pine; and beyond those heights again rose the rounded tops and shoulders of the distant cloud-stained hills.
"Prince Fortunatus"
William Black
The whole of the island, from one end to the other, is interspersed with thrifty farms, and no dwellings, barns, or other farm buildings are so humble but that the walls are kept of snowy brightness with whitewash, while all are surrounded by well-kept shrubbery, Birches, and flower-plats.
"Due North or Glimpses of Scandinavia and Russia"
Maturin M. Ballou