382 DOMAIN V. CALCAREOUS. 



affect granite, or gorphyry. A singular exam- 

 T s e mpL f P^ e occurs in the ruins of the temple of Serapis, 

 on the delicious coast of Baias, where three 

 large columns of Cipoline marble are pierced 

 by pholades, a kind of sea snail, which penetrate 

 deep holes into limestone, whence they are ex- 

 tracted, and called sea-dates, being a luxury of 

 the Italian repast*. These perforations extend 

 to not less than sixteen feet above the level of 

 the sea ; whence some have argued that the lat- 

 ter has subsided, while others suppose that the 

 land has been raised by earthquakes. A more 

 probable and easy solution would be, that these 

 columns have belonged to some more ancient 

 edifice, which may have been ruined by an 

 earthquake, and fallen into the sea ; or the ship 

 which conveyed them may have been wrecked ; 

 or, in fine, the pillars left partly within the sea 

 mark for a certain space of time. For in this 

 very temple, the Pentelican marble of Attica, 

 and the African bricia, occur; and it is well 

 known, from many examples, that the Romans 

 transported obelisks and columns from many 

 countries, to adorn Italy. 



Primitive. The celebrated Buffon had advanced an opi- 

 nion, that all calcareous rocks were mere re- 



* Breislak, ii. 163. 



