Treatment of \Valer 109 



projecting as far as possible before the dam, will greatly 

 diminish this disagreeable formality, particularly if well 

 clothed with a rich cover of shrubs and overhanging bushes. 



Except in these two instances, islands should be gener- 

 ally placed opposite the salient points of the banks, or near 

 those places where small breaks or promontories run out 

 into the water. In such situations, they will increase the 

 irregularity of the outline, and lend it additional spirit and 

 animation. Should they, on the other hand, be seated in 

 or near the marginal curve and indentations, they will only 

 serve to clog up these recesses; and while their own figures 

 are lost in these little bays where they are hidden, by lessen- 

 ing the already existing irregularities, they will render the 

 whole outline tame and spiritless.* 



On one or two of these small islands, little rustic habita- 

 tions, if it coincide with the taste of the proprietor, may 

 be made for different aquatic birds or waterfowl, which will 

 much enliven the scene by their fine plumage. Among 

 these the swan is pre-eminent, for its beauty and graceful- 

 ness. Abroad, they are the almost constant accompani- 

 ments of water in the ground of country residences; and 

 it cannot be denied that, floating about in the limpid wave, 

 with their snow-white plumage and superbly curved necks, 

 they are extremely elegant objects. 



After having arranged the banks, reared up the islands, 

 and completely formed the bed of the proposed lake, the 

 improver will next proceed, at the proper period, to finish 

 his labors by clothing the newly formed ground, in various 

 parts, with vegetation. This may be done immediately, if 

 it be desirable; or if the season be not favorable, it may be 

 deferred until the banks, and all the newly formed earth, 

 have had time to settle and assume their final forms, after 

 the dam has been closed, and the whole basin filled to its 

 intended height. 



* If one will consider for a moment the geologic forces by which 

 islands are naturally formed, he will see that the suggestions given by 

 Mr. Downing conform to the works of nature, and that they therefore 

 assist toward a realization of the natural style. -- F. A. \Y. 



