THE CATACOMBS OF PALEEMO. 
27 
case. There is no offensive odor, and the visitor would 
scarcely know, if he did not see them, that he was surrounded 
by the dead. I could perceive no difference in the atmosphere 
of these vaults from that of any other subterranean places, 
except a slight smell of mould, not altogether disagreeable. 
The fresh air is admitted from the top, and it is to its ex¬ 
treme dryness that the preservation of the bodies may be 
attributed. 
