The I'^onnation of Artificial Lakes. 



He greedily sucks in the twining bait. 

 And tugs and nibbles tbe fallacious meat. 

 Now. happy fisherman, now twitch the line. 

 How thy rod bends I behold, the prize is thine I 

 Cast on the bank he dies, with gasping pains. 

 And trickling Ijlood his silver mail distsins." 



Further cxploriDg the sinuous shore, a gentle slope succeeds the bolder 

 rock. — gradually rising, and disclosing a vista, afforded by an opening in 

 the wood, of vast waving fields of green and golden hue. Enraptured 

 with the vievr of nature's bountiful spread, we gaze ! The scene awakena 

 our gratitude, induces reflection, and our imagination sweetly and peace- 

 fully dreams of pleasant things. "We become, for the nonce, spell-bound 

 with inhaling nature's narcotine. from which we are suddenly arou.sed by 

 a tinkling bell suspended from the neck of some parti-colored cow, that, 

 gorged with the nourishing juice of meadow grass, approaches with 

 monotonous tread to slake her thirst, guided in her accustomed pere- 

 grinations by the oft-trod path which terminates with the lake shore. At 

 other places, a hill of steep ascent presents its base as a limitation of 

 farther progress in that direction ; and thus the irregular circuit is per- 

 formed, made up of bold projections, sloping hills, abrupt curves, 

 precipitous rocks, all claiming a share of our admiration, and forming the 

 tout ensemble of beauty. 



The most important objects are the trees and shrubs which characterize 

 this wild outline. At inter\-als along the bank, thickets will .stand out in 

 conspicuous reUef, casting strong black shadows on the water, in beautiful 

 contrast to the sunlight which fancifully sports around them ; in another 

 place, the gnarled trunk of a huge tree, having lost its footing by the 

 assiduous undermining of the water, has fallen down, extended far out 

 in the lake, where a few limbs show feeble signs of vegetation still tenacious 

 of life ; again, a weeping willow or some other pendulous tree droops its 

 branches in graceful luxuriance to the liquid element, affording a favorite 

 retreat for those fish which seek relief from the intolerant heat of mid- 

 day. 



Suddenly an island of verdure obstructs the view. A fev.- rocks 

 scattered around at its feet warn the approaching boat to sheer off, or run 

 the hazard of a collision with an enemy lying yerdu beneath the water's 

 surface. Circumnavigating the island, the clear liquid meets the gaze 

 like a polished mirror, uninterrupted except by the banks which are 

 entrusted with its guardianship. Eetuniing by the other shore completes 

 the delightful tour; and the proprietor who contemplates adding a similar 



