THE MEDITERRANEAN NATURALIST 
Nearer to Acireale, at that part N. of the llalzo 
at the Timpa di Mortara, maybe observed a cu- 
rious prehistoric lava which has undergone decom- 
position into spheroids, so as to appear as though 
it were composed of so many volcanic bombs, piled 
one another, and consequently compressed and 
crushed above. Pieces of this lava scale off itr 
concentric shells, more or less rounded, until a less 
decomposed nucleus is reached. 
Under this interesting eminence, just to the E. 
near Santa Tecla and but a few centimetres 
beneath the surface, has been discovered an ancient 
lacustrine basin containing a great number of fresh- 
water diatoms. Curiously amongst othese occurs the 
Eunotia gracilis s:n. ( — ELimantidiurn gracile. 
Ehrb.) which so far has been found in lakes of 
great altitude above sea-level. 
The N. part of the eminence of the Timpa of 
Santa Tecla is constituted of thick beds of tuff in- 
tersected by some horizontal sheets of lava. I have 
not, so far, collected any plant remains in this tuff 
such as are found in so many other tuffs of Etna, 
and even in the neighbourhood of Acireale; but it 
is very probable that they exist. Near the town a 
prehistoric lava has been precipitated from the 
llalzo f< •rmingan enormous lava cascade, the surface 
of which is now capable of cultivation, and on which 
stands the Villa Belvedere. Amidst the scoria of 
this stream are to be found good crystals of Spe- 
cular Haematite and vermicular silica, just as is 
the case in the middle of the town in the lava on 
wai. h is built the Piazza del Du onto. 
On the shore under the great cascade of lava is 
the celebrated ( Jrotta delle Palupibe excavated in a 
lava of earlier date ami which presents a splendid 
prismatic structure. This Grotta delle Palumbe, 
which has been compared to Fingal’s Cave 
in Staffa, although damaged by the fury of the 
'.".r •<, is still beautiful to see with its walls rising 
straight up from the water and composed °f radia- 
ting prismatic lava, whilst the bold and fantastic 
reefs which surround it form a most admirable 
passage. 
Beyond the gre: t lava cascade, the eminence 
(Tim j a della scala) is composed of numerous paral- 1 
lei beds of lava of different thickness, varying from 
2 to 10 i;:. which clipping to the S. disappear I 
beneath the sea) These old lava streams alternate | 
oi o 
o J j 
with beds of red pozzolana. In the lower lava beds 
beautiful radiated Aragonites can be collected, and 
white, pink, red-brown and green spheroids of the 
same mineral, together with Sphaerosiderite, 
Vivianite Mesotype, Opal and Chalcenony. In one 
lava stream of considerable thickness near a bed 
of white tuff in which vegetable impressions have 
been met with, are to be found beautiful examples 
of Olive of one centimetre or more in size. 
One fact worthy of notice is the state in which 
the larger crystals of Hornblende occur in the lo- 
wer lava beds. These crystals are sometimes crack- 
ed and the fissures have been penetrated by the 
magma as in those beautiful examples from Milo; 
sometimes the process is so advanced as to have 
reduced the crystals to fragments, more or less 
numerous, which are cemented together by the 
magma so as to assume an irregular polyhedric 
form. Around these crystals there often occurs 
a vacant space so that they can be easily detached 
from the matrix. (1) 
(to be continued.) 
NOTES AND NEWS. 
A sub-committee has, we hear, been appointed 
by the Maltese Agricultural Commission to inquire 
•into and report on the ‘ Bird Question” which has 
of late been exciting so much public attention in 
these islands. 
A movement has been started in Melbourne, for 
the passing of a law which may tend to prevent 
the wanton destruction of birds in the Colony. 
A deputation, organized by the Victoria Field 
Naturalist’s Club, and representing numerous 
influential societies, lately brought the subject 
(1) It is of very common occurrence fur a rough ir- 
regular solid body enclosed in lava to be surrounded 
by a cavity. 'The cause of it is undoubtedly the pre- 
1 sence of a large free surface at. wfiich the evolution 
of 1120 and other gases in solution take place with 
ease and freedom , as illustrated, by a cruynh of 
j bread in a glass of champagne. 
