62 THE ART AND PRACTICE OF LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 



and fitness there that are equal, in their way, to the charm of a 

 mountain torrent ; and the fitness to surrounding conditions is the 

 measure of beauty for both. It would be as utterly wrong to 

 imitate in a low, flat country the rushing stream that dashes in 

 cascades over a rocky bottom, as in a mountainous district to work 

 in simulation of a broad, sleepily-flowing river, which in a level 

 region, brimming to the grassy verge of the fat meadows through 

 which it slowly sweeps, is an object of particular charm. Lakes 

 may, it is true, sometimes be properly formed in high ground, provided 

 the inclination of the land is wrought to apparently lend itself to such 

 a formation ; and the question of fitness must be well considered. 



The landscape gardener's treatment of a lake or a river differs. 

 For the former space is necessary, and much of the pleasure de- 

 rived from the object is due to its outline. This outline is gained 

 by the arrangement of bays, creeks, and promontories. No figure 

 perfectly regular should be used, not even a semicircular bay, 

 which, though beautiful in shape, is not natural. The prevailing 

 line must be concave. It is indispensable that portions of the lake 

 and its shore be hidden from the spectator at other points on the 

 margin. If the lake be large, the end may be turned behind a 

 wood or a hill, or, failing such natural objects, by interposition of 

 planting. A vast sheet of water may compel our wonderment, but 

 the picture none the less is circumscribed, if we are able to take 

 cognizance of its features too completely ; our imagination is con- 

 fused or frustrated. In such circumstances the mind seizes with 

 avidity and delight on distant but definite objects, such even as a 

 shore of broken form, or a headland. An artificial lake may -be out 

 of proportion to the size of the estate. If the shore be flat, the 

 scene may be exceedingly uninteresting. In such case, by raising 

 opposite banks, by planting trees, or by making constructions, an 

 effect of proximity may be gained ; for elevation, producing distinct- 



