ISLAND OF ANTIPAROS. 123 
reached the top of the mountain before men- CHAP. 
ii. 
tioned, we came to the mouth of this most *. -.._ 
prodigious cavern, which may be described as c 
the greatest natural curiosity of its kind in the 
known world. The entrance to it exhibits 
nothing very remarkable : it is beautifully repre- 
sented in the Voyage Pittoresque of De Choiseul 
Gouffier x ; but no book of travels ever did or 
ever can pourtray the beauties of the interior. 
As to its origin, it may possibly have resulted its possible 
from the dislocation of an entire stratum; and ' 
this is rendered probable by the oblique direc- 
tion of the cavity, and the parallel inclination of 
its sides. The rock immediately above it con- 
sists of the following substances. The upper 
surface or summit of the mountain is a stratum 
of limestone, inclined very considerably from 
the horizon : beneath this is a layer of schistus, 
containing the sort of marble called Cipolino, 
that is to say, a mixture of schistus and marble: 
then occurs the cavity which forms the grotto, 
parallel to the dipping inclination of the supe- 
rior strata; and this cavity was once probably 
occupied by another stratum, succeeding in 
regular order to the superincumbent schistus : 
but this is mere hypothesis ; and any traveller 
. __^, . 
(l) See Plate xxxvi. p. 72. torn. I. Pat: 1783. 
