GEOLOGY. 653 



pyramid is perhaps the most beautiful marble plant in the 

 world ! " It was the error of a great genius. 



Although this celebrated grotto is very small, the Mar- 

 quis of Nointel, one of our ambassadors to the Sublime 

 Porte, took the fancy of celebrating midnight mass there 

 on Christinas Eve. He descended into the grotto accompa- 

 nied by a great number of persons of his suite, of merchants 



243. Cyprinodons of the Mammoth Cave. 



and pirates, and then had 100 torches of yellow wax and 

 400 lamps lighted up, which illuminated all the interior. 

 At the moment of the holy sacrifice of the mass, fireworks 

 and cannon, arranged at the entrance to the grotto, aroused 

 the echoes with their detonations, whilst the trumpets 

 sounded. This being over, the Marquis of Nointel did 



