THE COASTS OF SICILY. 19 



at his leisure every phase of their curious evolution. 

 I for my part found in the grottoes of the Cape 

 a large number of Annelids, Nemertes, Planarias, 

 and Phlebenterous Molluscs, and I also discovered 

 a new species of Gasteropodous Mollusc allied to 

 those Tritonias, whose organisation was first made 

 known to us by Cuvier. The Sicilian species, 

 although of smaller size, is much more remarkable 

 than the one which inhabits the coasts of France. 

 Figure to yourself a little slug of a somewhat elon- 

 gated shape, bearing on its sides a row of branchiae, 

 looking like so many exquisitely delicate living 

 tufts. In the place of the smooth and opaque ten- 

 tacles of our snails, imagine two large crystal horns, 

 from each of which escapes a tuft of rosy branches, 

 intermingled with violet-coloured blossoms ; and 

 lastly stretch over the front part of its head a 

 spangled veil of the finest gauze, and you will have 

 some idea, although a very imperfect one, of this 

 lovely little creature, which is one of the most mar- 

 vellously beautiful living gems that I have ever 

 seen. 



Although the localities adapted for our researches 

 on the isthmus of Milazzo were rich in animal 

 species, they were of limited extent, and three weeks 

 sufficed to exhaust them : this circumstance, together 

 with the advanced season of the year, combined 

 to make us think of hastening our departure. From 

 the terraces of the Villa Lucifero, we could perceive 

 a black cone rising abruptly from the sea, which 

 was almost always encircled by a light cloud of 

 smoke. This was the island of Stromboli, whose 



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