aftually made a kitchen garden upon it after the Italian method.
The infeds indeed are perpetually at war with him ; and not-
•withftanding all his attention, frequently deftroy the fruits of
his labour. Snails alfo; unite thenafelves to thefe winged enemies,
and I never faw fuch prodigious numbers any where elfe.
Fulvius Hirpinus, who firft made nurferies for fnails, in the
Campania Targuinienfis, Would have found enough to fatisfy
him. 1 know not, i f on this iiland, they grow to the very
large lize that Pliny fays * the Illyrian inails did, but it is probable,
that, i f they were fuffered to propagate, and live quietly,
their bulk would correfpond with their fecundity.
On the quality o f the fione that forms the IJland o f U g l ia n .
Various fpecies o f ftone compofe the mafs o f Uglian, and the
neighbouring iflands; they may, however, be reduced principally
to the four following. The loweft ftratum is a kind o f
marble, which contains an infinite number o f extraneous bodies,
o f the ceratites kind, and cryftallized in a white calcareous fpar.
Théfe bodies are not all of the fame fire, nor form, though they
aré cóñftantly fiitulous, and crooked. I haye fome fpecimens,
that correfpond to the defcription o f the Helmintbolitus Nautili
Orthacerce o f Linnaeus, -f- This celebrated naturalift believes, that
the marine original o f this petrification, is without doubt an inhabitant
of the bottom o f the Baltic (from whence however it never
was taken out alive, nor in its teftaceous ftate) being induced
to think fo, from having found it frequently in the marble
called
* Plm. Lib. . IX Cap. 56.
t Lihn. Syit. Nat. T . III. p. 162. ed. 1768. Habitat fine dubio in ábyflo
mans Balthici deperdittts, petrificatus nobis fequentiffimus in tnarm«re itratario
& c.
called by him Jlratario, becaufe it is ufed in paving the roads
in many provinces adjacent to that fea. It ffiould feem, that
this learned man had forgot the many fpecies o f exotic plants,
marine bodies, and bones o f terreltrial animals, which are frequently
found petrified in the bowels o f the mountains of'Europc,
though never feen in their natural ftate in our feas. I can venture
to affirm, that the Orthoceratites live not in the Adriatick,
though they are found petrified' in marble, on the iflands; and
on the continent of Dalmatia. T fie ; coral fifhers have fcoured
the bottom fufficiendy, to-convince us; that no fpecies o f living
creatures, much propagated; inhabits there at prefent; but-
whbfe individuals- are well-known to-us.- I have had drawings*
made o f feveral pieces -of this marble, in whieh the Orthoceratites;
appear prominent, and I will defèribe them* more minutely, when.
I'fpeakof the little iiland,- on which I collected the moil intereft--
ing ipecimen-s;- Your Lordfhip* will allow, that an. allertion.
prooul diibio, not fupported by any .fact, .but,....on the contrary,,
pofitively contradidted, . may. permit, me, to take fome liberty
with this1 celebrated author, whofe talents, and merit, however, ,,
are, by all lovers of. natural hiftory, dcfcrvedly. held in the higheft. :
veneration. "
The fefeond fpecies o f Uglran marble, is analogous td the fof->
fil oyfter ftone o f Ulbo, and contains great quantities o f OJlra-i
cites well preferved, and very diftinguiffiable; but- not eafily fe--
parated from the fubftance of the ftone in which they lie.; they,
are particularly vifible on the -furface of fuch pieces, o f - marble,,
as have been long expofed to the aftion o f the air,-and: rain. Not
o n l y the firft'fpecies, compofed o f < Orthôceratite, but alfo the
other, containing the foffil oyfters, is of-a white colour; b u t
they are. both rough, or of a coarfe grain, and untraitable to the,
C chifel, i.