nited into one, but Ferrara declares
that by digging a very short distance below the surface he found one
single stem. The public road now passes through the much-decayed trunk.
Captain Smyth measured the circumference a few feet from the ground, and
found it to be 163 feet, which would give it a diameter of more than 50
feet. The tree derives its name from the story that one of the Queens of
Arragon took shelter in its trunk with a suite of 100 horsemen. Near
this patriarch are several large chestnuts, which, without a shadow of
doubt, are single trees; one of these is 18 feet in diameter, and a
second 15 feet, while the _Castagno della Galea_, higher up on the
mountain, is 25 feet in diameter, and probably more than 1000 years old.
The breadth of the Regione Selvosa varies considerably, as may be seen
by reference to the accompanying map; in the direction of the Val del
Bove it is very narrow, while elsewhere it frequently has a breadth of
from 6 to 8 miles.

The Desert Region is embraced between the limit of 6,300 feet and the
summit. It occupies about 10 square miles, and consists of a dreary
waste of black sand, scoriae, ashes, and masses of ejected lava. In
winter it remains permanently covered with snow, and even in the height
of summer snow may be found in certain rifts.

Botanists have divided the surface of Etna into seven regions. The first
extends from the level of the sea to 100 feet above it, and in it
flourishes the palm, banana, Indian fig or prickly pear, sugar-cane,
mimosa, and acacia. It must be remembered, however, that it is only on
the east side of the mountain that the level within the base sinks to
100 feet above the sea; and, moreover, that the palm, banana, and
sugar-cane, are comparative rarities in this part of Sicily. Prickly
pears and vines are the most abundant products of the lower slopes of
the eastern side of Etna. The second, or hilly region, reaches from 100
to 2000 feet above the sea, and therefore constitutes, with the
preceding, the _Regione Coltivata_ of our former division. In it are
found cotton, maize, orange, lemon, shaddock, and the ordinary Sicilian
produce. The culture of the vine ceases near its upward limit. The
third, or woody region, reaches from 2000 to 4000 feet, and the
principal trees within it are the cork, oak, maple, and chestnut. The
fourth region extends from 4000 to 6000 feet, and contains the beech,
Scotch fir, birch, dock, plaintain, and sandworth. The fift