Dr. Daubeny on the Geology of Sicily. 247 
ay ee covered by the lavas of “a tna. 
I traced these beds Harton te ca om Terranuova to 
carthy lodfking baeicone, genera a straw - colour, a 
in some of its varieties, resemble the beds occurrin 
Oolite of this country, or of a breccia, in which nodules of a 
more compact limestone were imbedded in the earthy look- 
ing basis, before described. 
In the south of the island, near the town of Ragusa, this form- 
ation contains beds of limestone of a black colour, owing to the 
presence of bituminous matter,* with which it is so strongly 
impregnated, that thin pieces of it will burn in a candle, leay- 
ing an earthy residuum ; and it is even said, that the inhabit- 
ants use it as fuel. Near Palagenia, west of. Se i ay 
lake called Lago Naftia, which is constantly giving out 
leum ; it ts situated in the same formation.t In. many 
natural caverns are found, in which a large quantit E sai nitre 
is collected, the constituents. being proba ly furnis ed, ina 
great measure, by the dung of bats, which resort there in vast 
numbers. 
It is curious to observe, that the natural caverns are fre- 
quently incrusted with stalactite, though the artificial exca~ 
vations, found in great numbers on the same spot, the anti- 
quity of which cannot be questioned, seem altogether free 
em. 
In the country between Terranuova and Cape Passero, 
the only shells T observed, were near the little town of Scicli, 
where they consisted chiefly of pectens and ostree, I mre 
manana 
all 
* T find. - the Ragusa limestone contains near 14 per cent of bitu- 
minous matte 
ak Bee pane s Pamphlet on the Lago N : 
These artificial excavations are psi curious, in an a antiqua- 
rian een of algal om do not seem to have been ae Snr noticed. 
a 
ental and in the valley of Ipsica, the rock 
design 
ime Ww. a people watesine to the paved of. Greek colonization. 
general size of the excavations was about six feet square; and at Pan- 
talica, they were so dare disposed along the abrupt face of the rock 
that they resemble the ranges of windows, belonging the several stories 
of sey building. They seem to be confined to the south of the island. 
where the stone is soft, and paitly holigered out. 
