Lord Lilford's Ci'uise in the Mediterranean. 19 



directions^ with considerable result, as will be seen further on. 

 We spent the next day in visiting some of the many lions of 

 Syracuse, viz. : — the Fountain of Arethusa, now frequented by 

 vulgar Domestic Ducks and some common Water-hens ; the 

 Museo, where a large collection of very interesting antiquities 

 are piled together in such confusion that it is impossible to 

 examine them. Here we saw the beautiful Venus of Syra- 

 cuse, which rivals, in my opinion, the best representations of 

 the irresistible goddess that I have seen, and is yet but little 

 known or spoken of in Western Europe. From the Museo 

 we went to see a poor collection of stuffed birds at the Gabi- 

 netto, the most remarkable thing there being a specimen of 

 the Nutcracker [Nucifraga caryocatactes) , which the Curator 

 assured me was killed in the neighbourhood. We afterwards 

 drove out to see the quarries from which the stone was taken 

 for the building of the four cities which composed the ancient 

 Syracuse, and were much interested. The whole neighbour- 

 hood of Syracuse is pierced with galleries, tunnels, and tombs, 

 and quarries of enormous extent. A great deal has been done 

 in the way of exploration ; but a very great deal more remains 

 to be done, as the ground occupied by the ancient cities 

 extends over an area of some fifteen or twenty miles. We 

 made many excursions to various points in the vicinity, all 

 full of interest to the most unlearned, and to an antiquarian, 

 I should say, almost unrivalled. The natives of this corner 

 of Sicily, though heavily taxed and wretched enough, are not 

 such shameless and rapacious beggars and liars as about 

 Messina and Catania; nor have they taken to highway rob- 

 bery and murder, as is the case in the western and central 

 parts of the island. 



We of course took a boat up the Anapo, and by dint of 

 towing, punting, pushing, and a good deal of objurgation on 

 the part of our boatmen, succeeded in arriving at the famous 

 fountain of Cyane, the source of the Anapo, where Proserpine 

 is said to have made her final exit from the air above. The 

 far-famed river is a small stream, densely choked with aquatic 

 vegetation ; the most interesting vegetable production is the 

 papyrus, which grows in great luxuriance and is extremely 



