PICTURESQUE ANIMALS. 145 



particular, having that look of conscious self-satisfaction 

 which we often observe in a silly fop of the town. The 

 very manner in which he leans his head upon his thumb 

 and fingers betrays his concern lest he should spoil the 

 arrangement of his hair. How strange that the painter 

 of this piece should not have seen that all these little 

 trifles completely ruined the picturesque character of his 

 painting ! 



One of the most interesting engravings I have seen 

 represents a peasant-girl, in the neat and simple attire of 

 her own humble station in life, in the act of bearing a 

 pitcher of water which she has just dipped from a rustic 

 well. How easily might the designer have ruined the 

 whole expression of this piece, either by making the well 

 an elegant and fanciful structure or by making the damsel 

 a fine lady in her silks and laces. The sight of a picnic 

 party assembled together in the woods and pastures is 

 always pleasing ; but, as I have already intimated, it fails 

 in interest when represented on canvas, because, with 

 all the fine images connected with it, it savors of the 

 vanity of fashionable or rather of town life. After wit- 

 nessing one of these scenes, while journeying leisurely in 

 a chaise on a pleasant day in October, I chanced to see 

 a group of little country girls, in the simplest apparel, 

 gathering nuts under a tree. What a crowd of pleasant 

 recollections of the past was immediately awakened by 

 the sight ! " There/' exclaimed my companion, " is a scene 

 for a painter. Such a little group in a picture would 

 afford us inexpressible delight. Yet, were I to join either 

 party, I should prefer to be one of the other company at 

 the picnic." " For the very plain reason," I replied, " that 

 in the latter company you would expect to find some in- 

 telligent persons who would be interesting companions. 

 But this is not what we look for in a picture, which 

 pleases in proportion to the simplicity of its characters." 



