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[Footnote: The three diagrams which accompany this text are placed,
in the original, before lines 7-11. At the spots marked B Leonardo
wrote Albero (tree). At A is the word Sole (sun), at C Monte
(mountain) at D piano (plain) and at E cima (summit).]
Every branch participates of the central shadow of every other
branch and consequently [of that] of the whole tree.
The form of any shadow from a branch or tree is circumscribed by the
light which falls from the side whence the light comes; and this
illumination gives the shape of the shadow, and this may be of the
distance of a mile from the side where the sun is.
If it happens that a cloud should anywhere overshadow some part of a
hill the [shadow of the] trees there will change less than in the
plains; for these trees on the hills have their branches thicker,
because they grow less high each year than in the plains. Therefore
as these branches are dark by nature and being so full of shade, the
shadow of the clouds cannot darken them any more; but the open
spaces between the trees, which have no strong shadow change very
much in tone and particularly those which vary from green; that is
ploughed lands or fallen mountains or barren lands or rocks. Where
the trees are against the atmosphere they appear all the same
colour--if indeed they are not very close together or very thickly
covered with leaves like the fir and similar trees. When you see the
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