358 DOMAIN XII. VOLCANIC. 



which, as he informs us, was four miles. It had 

 the usual form of the funnel, emitted fire and 

 thick smoke ; but at intervals was calm, and 

 might be approached ; at which times a subter- 

 raneous noise was heard, and a sound like that 

 of the boiling of an immense caldron on a vast 

 fire. These observations were made by him in 

 1541, and 1544 ; in both which years the crater 

 appears to have been single 1 *. 



" These few citations appear to me sufficient 

 to show what changes have taken place in the 

 summit of Etna, relative to the number, the 

 form, and the size of its craters, according to 

 the different effects of its conflagrations at dif- 

 ferent times. But there is likewise another 

 alteration which should not be passed unnoticed, 

 described by two writers who themselves observed 

 it, Fazello and Borelli; I mean the falling in 

 and absorption of the extreme summit of Etna 

 within its crater. The former of the above 

 mentioned authors relates that in his time there 

 arose, in the mouth of the crater, a little hill, 

 isolated on every side, which formed the vertex 

 of the mountain ; and which, in a terrible erup- 

 tion, fell into and was buried in the gulf, thus 



* Fazel. Sic. 



