S84i On the Bone Caves of' Palermo. 



which occur so commonly along the shores of the Mediterra- 

 nean, rather than to the true caves, such as those of England or 

 Germany. The most important is the Grotto di Santo Giro, 

 about two miles to the south-east of Palermo, for the bone 

 breccia is there found in connection with the recent quaternary 

 formations containing Mediterranean shells, which it distinctly 

 overlies. The quaternary beds extend up to, and even a con- 

 siderable way into, the interior of the cavern, and the breccia 

 not only covered them within, but is still seen extending a con- 

 siderable way beyond the mouth of the grotto, and forming, 

 along with blocks of limestone, a sort of talus, which slopes 

 from the side of the hill to the plain below. There are various 

 other curious facts connected with this very interesting deposite, 

 which will bear closely upon some of the prevaihng theoretical 

 views regarding these recent formations, but which I must 

 unavoidably reserve for my notes on the geology of Sicily, 

 which I propose to send to the Geological Society of London 

 from Malta, after I have completed my journey through this 

 island. 



June 2. — I have just returned from visiting another deposite 

 of bone breccia about four or five miles from here. Like the 

 former, it is partly within, partly on the outside, of a small cave 

 in one of the limestone hills ; but there are no quaternary beds 

 near it, no marine shells, no holes drilled in the limestone by 

 lithodomi such as are seen in the other, in fine, no indications 

 of the sea having been there, so that it probably had its origin 

 under different circumstances from those which accompanied 

 the formation of the breccia at Santo Giro, and the comparison 

 erf the two, therefore, becomes interesting. 



I intend to start from Palermo to-morrow, and to go by way 

 of Termini, Gefalu, from thence through the centre of the 

 island, by Gastra Giovanni and the plain of Gatania, to the 

 eastern coast ; after which I will ascend Mount Etna, and then 

 go to Gape Passaro, whence I shall cross over to Malta. Du- 

 ring this excursion I hope to have an opportunity of observing 

 the relations which the formations of Sicily bear to the lines of 

 elevation, and if possible to place these in connection with the 

 great lines of Elie de Beaumont. 



