270 DOMAIN III. ARGILLACEOUS. 



There arises every instant, from the bottom of 

 the funnels, a wet greyish clay, with a convex 

 surface. This bladder, bursting with some noise, 

 throws beyond the crater the clay, which runs 

 like lava down the sides of the little hills ; the 

 intermission between the petty explosions being 

 between two and three minutes. This hill has 

 also more important fermentations, in which it 

 affects to imitate a volcano ; little earthquakes 

 are perceivable at the distance of two or three 

 miles, and there are serious eruptions, which 

 sometimes elevate a sheaf of liquid clay to the 

 height of 200 feet ; the explosions being repeated 

 three or four times in the twenty-four hours, 

 and accompanied with a fetid sulphurous odour. 

 This singular volcanello has been described by 

 Strabo and Solinus ; and the others present the 

 same phenomena. Patrin says that the clay is 

 of a greyish blue, and that Spallanzani has found 

 in it the same elements as in basaltin. Dolo- 

 mieu has also observed that the clay hills, which 

 cover the surrounding country, are the produce 

 of those eternal ejections mentioned by Solinus*. 

 When clay rock is strongly impregnated with 

 iron it passes into jasper. The more common 

 colours are grey and red, and it is sometimes 



* Dolotnieu, Lipari, 153. Patrin Min. v. 24Q. 



