THE COASTS OF SICILY. 199 



summit of tlie hill, on which the spectators watched 

 the mimic scene, the eye glances from the abrupt 

 declivities of Mount Inici to the waters of the gulf 

 and Point Omo-Morto^ rendered blue by distance, 

 until, ascending to the peaks of Bonifato, it loses 

 itself in a labyrinth of mountains, whose graduated 

 summits, compressed together like so many solid 

 waves, blend into one mass, which skirts the horizon 

 from Mount Eryx to Corleone. But throughout 

 this vast amphitheatre, by which the spectator is 

 surrounded, the silence and stillness of the tomb 

 reign supreme, without any manifestation of active 

 life. Concealed by its rocks, Calatafimi scarcely 

 reveals the presence of its ruined Saracenic fortress, 

 while Alcamo is completely hidden behind an 

 undulation of the ground. Built upon the bare 

 and rugged sides of a mountain, which appears ex- 

 clusively to belong to it, the feudal stronghold of 

 the Marquises of Cardillo seems to dominate in 

 solitary grandeur over this desert region, heighten- 

 ing the general character of this strange scene by 

 calling to mind the sombre conceptions of some of 

 our novelists. 



Yet, notwithstanding the profound emotions ex- 

 cited by this grand scene, we did not forget that we 

 were naturalists. There were a few insects buzzing 

 among the wild grass and tall fennel, which here 

 grows to be more than six feet high ; and M. 

 Blanchard, who was not slow in availing himself of 

 the opportunity thus afforded him of beginning his 

 collection, was fortunate enough, amongst other 

 captures, to possess himself of a splendid butterfly, 

 o 4 



