VII 



BROWNSEA ISLAND, DORSETSHIRE 



PLINY the elder says "that Plautus assigneth 

 the custodie of Gardens to the protection of 

 the Goddess Venus." This gives birth to the vain 

 fantasy that once upon a time the ever-changing 

 beauty of the Gardens at Brownsea enticed Venus 

 to visit the Island where they lay. And as she 

 wandered flowers sprang up at her feet, and the 

 fragrance of her floating garment perfumed the air 

 for ever. Her presence laid such a spell upon the 

 spot that since then many a man and woman living 

 on the Island became enchanted with its beauty, 

 desirous of living there for all time, happier 

 within its sea-lapped meadows than anywhere else 

 in the wide world. In remembrance of the 

 Goddess of Love and Beauty, the Island has 

 ever been a favourite with birds of every kind ; 

 the Plover, the Red-Shank, the Green-Shank, the 

 Crossbill, and the beautiful Kingfisher, and many 

 others live in the Gardens and marsh-land. 



