256 SEE— TEMPERATURE, SECULAR COOLING [April 20, 



high, was poured down again upon the island in a whirlwind. That the sea 

 retired from it to a distance of three stadia, but after remaining so for a 

 short time it returned, and inundated the island, thus extinguishing the fire. 

 And the inhabitants of the continent fled at the noise, from the sea-coast, 

 into the interior of Campania." 



The following passage about the town of the Rhegini gives 

 Strabo's views of volcanoes as safety valves (Lib. VI., Cap. I, § 6, 

 pp. 386-387) : 



" It was called Rhegium either, as Aeschylus says, because of the con- 

 vulsions which had taken place in this region; for Sicily was broken from 

 the continent by earthquakes, 



" ' Whence it is called Rhegium.' 

 Others, as well as he, have affirmed the same thing, and adduce as an evi- 

 dence that which is observed about ^tna, and the appearances seen in other 

 parts of Sicily, the Lipari and neighbouring islands, and even in the Pithe- 

 cussse, with the whole coast beyond them, which prove that it was not un- 

 likely that this convulsion had taken place. But now these mouths being 

 opened, through which fire is drawn up, and the ardent masses and water 

 poured out, they say that the land in the neighbourhood of the Strait of 

 Sicily rarely suffers from the effects of earthquakes; but formerly all the 

 passages to the surface being blocked up, the fire which was smouldering 

 beneath the earth, together with the vapour, occasioned terrible earthquakes, 

 and the regions, being disturbed by the force of the pent up winds, some- 

 times gave way, and being rent received the sea, which flowed in from either 

 side; and thus were formed both this strait and the sea which surrounds 

 the other islands in the neighbourhood. For Prochyta and the Pithecussae, 

 as well as Capreas, Leucosia, the Sirenes, and the CEnotrides, are but so 

 many detached fragments from the continent, but other islands have risen 

 from the bottom of the sea, a circumstance which frequently occurs in many 

 places; for it is more reasonable to think that the islands in the midst of the 

 sea have been raised up from the bottom, and that those which lie off head- 

 lands and are separated merely by a strait were broken off from them." 



In describing Mount Aetna he says (Lib. VI., Cap. 2, §8-9; 



pp. 414-415) • 



" Near to Centoripa is the town we have a little before mentioned, JEtna, 

 which serves as a place for travelers about to ascend Mount yEtna, to halt 

 and refresh themselves for the expedition. For here commences the region 

 in which is situated the summit of the mountain. The districts above arjd 

 barren and covered with ashes, which are surmounted by the snows in winter; 

 all below it however is filled with woods and plantations of all kinds. It 

 seems that the summits of the mountain take many changes by the ravages 

 of the fire, which sometimes is brought into one crater, and at another is 

 divided; at one time again it heaves forth streams of lava, and at another 

 flames and thick smoke: at other times again ejecting red-hot masses of 

 fire-stone. In such violent commotions as these the subterranean passages 



