712 ON THE VOLCANO OF TAAL, 



with water of a similar tint, which contrasts with singular bril- 

 liancy with the neighbouring lakes. My visit being at the end of 

 an unusually long dry season did not permit me to see any ■ water 

 in this crater. 



The Spanish author whom I have followed hitherto, here 

 <lescribes an active cone about 300 metres to the south of the 

 green lake. He says it is a small but very perfect cone, composed 

 of ashes and scoriae, with a circular basin, from which emanate 

 continually those unceasing clouds of white vapor which render 

 this island so conspicuous. This cone, he says, can be approached 

 to within 50 or 60 yards. It is about 50 ft. high, with a diameter 

 for the crater of 18 or 20 ft. There was, he says, a constant 

 murmur, like that of the boiling and bubbling of some viscid 

 liquid, which could be heard 500 or 600 yards away. Presuming 

 that this is the larger crater from which the white fumes contin- 

 ually emanated at the time of my visit, it has changed very much 

 in appearance. I should say that this has been due to a constant 

 i"ain of fine dust and sulphur which had levelled this crater, and 

 quite changed its conical outline. In fact, the fumes seemed 

 to me to be coming out of a pit that was more like a well than a 

 cone. Since the last eruption which took place, the whole of these 

 features have been subject to new and extensive alterations. The 

 vapor was liable to great variations in the manner in which it 

 •came forth from the pit, sometimes it was in thick white masses 

 forming quite a canopy over the crater, at other times there was 

 only a thin veil of smoke. Some authors have thought that these 

 intermissions depend upon barometric ])ressure. It is quite certain 

 that there are days when the smoke is unceasing, and others when 

 the volcano can scarcely be distinguished from the surrounding 

 hills. 



It may be added that the whole of the interior of the crater 

 was more or less smoking at the time of my visit. The cracks 

 and crevices which sent forth continuous jets of white sulphur 

 fumes were quite beyond numeration. The whole face of the 

 interior slope on the highest side was thickly studded with these 



