262 H. S. WASHINGTON PERSISTENCE OF VENTS AT STROMBOLI 



It is noteworthy^ in reading- the descriptions of the vents from 1891 to 

 1907 by the Italian observers, Eicco, Mercalli, Arcidiacono, and Platania,^^ 

 that, Avhethcr phrns are given or not, the different vents are constantly 

 referred to, in describing their activity, by tlie same numbers, and their 

 persistence in location is either tacitly assumed or explicitly stated. 



Figure 12 is a sketch by Mercalli of the terrace on March 1, 1889.^^ 

 Both the Torreone and Zolfo vents were active, as well as one which 

 Mercalli calls the "conetto centrale,'^ and which would appear to have 

 been the Sciarra vent. The situation six months earlier (September 3, 



Figure 14. — Sketch of Crater Terrace of Stromholi, April, 187J, (Jmhl) 



1888) is shown in ligure 13,-^^ when the activity was confined chiefly to 

 the Torreone vent. 



Tl^ere appear to have ]jeen puldished no plans of the terrace or sketches 

 of the several vents prior to 1888, such as we have been examining. 

 There are, however, a few pictures and drawings which furnish some 

 information. Some of them are more remarkable for their quaintness 

 and Giottesque charm than for their sti'ict fidelity to nature. Unfortu- 

 nately, as will be seen, they were all taken from east or west of the upper 

 part of the Sciarra or from below it, and so show little or nothing of the 

 terrace floor. We tiuis i^et no chic from them as to the veuts on this, 



21 Ci. IMataiiia: Ann. T'ff. Cent. Met. Ital., vol. xxx, part i. 1910, p. 1. 



22 G. :\Icrca]li : Ann. T'ff. Cent. Met. Ital. (2). vol. x, 1802, p. 248, and tav. xi 

 -=* G. :\rercalli : ()]). cit.. p. 246, and tav. xi. 



