206 Still Water. 



of shadow on still water. And in some cases where 

 little lines of low reefs of earth or stone rise up to 

 break the monotony of the expanse, with a fringe of 

 dark against the light, it only adds to the beauty ; and 

 though it may not be pleasing in itself, yet commends 

 itself to the eye from the mere desire and craving for 

 variety and relief in a level which is inherent in the 

 mind of man. 



What gives the sense of weariness and oppression 

 in looking on a vast desert, or on expanses of still 

 water, is due simply to lack of relief. This is not felt 



at sea, for example, nearly so much as it would be on 

 a still lake. The ceaseless movement of the ocean 

 is itself a relief; the endless variety of the swelling- 

 curves in its lazy wavelets and ripples, even on the 

 calmest day, is a delight alike to eye and brain ; while, 

 our pleasure on looking on such a sheet of still water 

 as is presented in our next engraving, is derived from 

 our sense of its contact with the land, and these spurs 

 that run into it, break it up, and impart some sense 

 of variety. 



The pleasure which one has in looking at the lovely 

 wooded Ellen's Island in Loch Katrine, is largely due 



