42 The Oak^ as an Element of Landscape, 



crooked lines, and by their frequent tendency to a horizontal 

 direction : these striking peculiarities are exemplified in the 

 accompanying sketch. {Jig. 17.) 



Not unfrequently, however, the forms of the limbs and 

 branches are entirely concealed by the exuberancy of foliage, 

 as is the case in the Bounds- Park oak, and more particularly 

 in that magnificent living canopy, — nulli penetrabilis astro^ im- 

 pervious to the day, — (fully described in the Sylva Britannica\ 

 the Chandos oak at Southgate, which, although not exactly a 

 painter's tree, is unquestionably unrivalled for regular beauty 

 and plenitude of shade. The oak, also, is occasionally found 

 to present an extremely graceful and pleasing figure, as is re- 

 markably the case with the celebrated oak at Lord Cowper's, 

 of which we subjoin a drawing. {Jig- 18.) This tree, above a 

 century ago, was well known as the great oak at Panshanger. 



There is also a beautiful tree, represented in the first of 

 these sketches {Jig. 13.), of the same description, at Lord 

 Darnley's seat at Cobham, which, being protected from the 

 depredations of cattle, enjoys the most perfect freedom of 

 growth, extending " its latitude of boughs " in every direction, 

 and drooping its clustered foliage to the very ground. 



{To be continued.) 



