SIE  CTIAELES  LTELL  OX  THE  STErCTrEE  OF  LAVAS 
the  statement  of  the  peasants  to  a love  of  the  man  ellous,  in  which,  after  an  event  of  so 
unusual  a nature  as  this  deluge,  they  might  be  pardoned  for  indulging. 
An  occasional  flood  like  that  of  1755  would  no  doubt  do  more  towards  filling  up  than 
towards  excavating  the  Val  del  Bove,  yet  a repetition  of  such  catastrophes,  proAided  the 
outpouring  of  fresh  lava  was  suspended,  could  not  fail  to  exert  a great  denuding  poAver. 
and  would  unquestionably  give  rise  to  just  such  deposits  as  those  marked  a on  the  map, 
Plate  XLIX.,  Avhich  are  so  conspicuous  near  Giarre  and  to  the  southward.] 
Gradual  rise  of  the  sea-coast  and  inland  cliffs  at  the  eastern  hose  of  Htna. 
The  position  noAV  occupied  by  the  deposits  of  alluAium  last  alluded  to  {a  and  d , 
Plate  XLIX.),  the  upper  portion  of  which  have  attained  in  some  places  a height  of 
more  than  400  feet  above  the  sea,  is  the  natural  consequence  of  the  upheaval  of  the 
Avhole  coast  along  the  eastern  base  of  Etna,  so  often  mentioned  in  the  preceding  pages. 
Tliis  gradual  elevation  was  inferred  many  years  ago  by  S.  v.  Walteeshausex,  from  the 
occurrence  of  raised  beaches  containing  shells  of  recent  species,  and  from  lithophagous 
perforations  in  the  rocks  and  he  traced  these  signs  of  elevation  to  tiie  northward  of 
the  volcanic  region ; as,  for  example,  at  the  church  of  St.  Andrea,  below  Taormina. 
Avhere  the  limestone  is  bored  by  lithodomi  at  the  height  of  135  French  feet  aboA'e  the 
sea,  and  where  sea-shells  of  living  species  are  preseiwed  in  a raised  beach.  Dr.  Caelo 
Gemmellaeo  also  discovered  in  the  same  place  horizontal  grooA'es  in  the  Jurassic  lime- 
stone of  the  coast  several  yards  above  the  sea-level,  like  those  noAV  worn  by  the  beating 
of  the  waves  on  the  rocks.  His  son  also,  Signor  Gaetano,  called  my  attention,  during 
our  visit  to  the  Isle  of  Cyclops  in  1857,  to  a marine  breccia  filling  rents  in  the  XeAver 
Pliocene  clay,  in  which  I saAV  shells,  many  of  them  retaining  their  colour,  of  the  genera 
(Jolumhella,  Cyprcea,  Buccinuni,  Anomia,  Patella^  and  others,  all  of  species  now  abundant 
in  the  neighbouring  sea.  Both  the  Gasteropods  and  Lamellibranchiates  were  recognized 
by  Signor  Gemmellaeo,  as  being  in  their  normal  position  at  A'arious  heights,  some  about 
13  French  metres  above  the  sea,  and  a calcareo-siliceous  incrustation  of  the  same  age 
contains  the  holes  and  shells  of  Modiola  lithophaga.  There  are  also  large  blocks  of 
rolled  lava,  invested  with  Serpulse,  reaching  points  14  metres  liigh'f’.  On  the  adjoining 
coast,  at  Trezza  and  at  Molino  d’Aci,  Ave  saAV  similar  phenomena,  to  which  S.  v.  'SValtees- 
HAUSEN  refers  in  the  fifth  and  sixth  parts  of  his  ‘Atlas’  (pp.  6 and  7). 
If  such  a bodily  upheaval  of  the  country  has  been  going  on  for  a considerable  period 
during  the  subaerial  groAvth  of  Etna,  we  are  entitled  to  look  for  signs  of  ancient  sea- 
cliff’s,  noAV  inland  at  different  elevations,  and  accordingly  Ave  meet  Avitli  them,  as  before 
remarked,  p.  710j  one  above  the  other,  in  ascending  from  Catania  towards  Nicolosi,  where 
Ave  find,  first,  a loAA^er  terrace  cut  in  tertiary  clay,  and  then  a higher  one  at  Fasano, 
Avhere  the  old  line  of  cliff  has  been  excavated  in  stratified  volcanic  tuffs  at  the  height  of 
* See  a memoir  by  that  author,  eutitled  “ Ueber  die  Vulkanischen  Ausbriiche  in  der  Tertiiir-Formation 
des  Val  di  Noto,”  Grdttingen,  184G. 
t Geol.  Quart.  Journ.  1858,  a’oI.  xiv.  p.  504. 
