90

BITHYKIA.

recognize the species; it weighed, I should think, a pound;
I am to have it cooked a la Turque.

Yizierkhan has its name from an immense khan, founded
for the Haggi, or pilgrimage to Mecca. On examining the
stone of this building I have been much puzzled. I had
seen on entering Lef ky, in a wall of loose stones, one which,
like the rest, was of a pale greenish colour, but contained
beautiful specimens of fossil shells quite protruding from it;
there were a scallop or two of different sizes, and a kind of
snail or round shell, all of the same colour as the stone. I
called Demetrius back to look at them, and to show him the
difference between these shells and those we saw at Troy,
which were themselves imbedded in lime. Thinking fossils
might be common, I did not dismount from my horse. On
proceeding, I found the rocks in the neighbourhood of the
same colour, and thought they were of a greenish limestone,
or perhaps sandstone; but I now find that the khan, the
only stone building in this village, is formed of the same
material, and that it is an igneous rock, not stratified, and
speckled throughout with green schisty particles. How
comes this to contain shells ? I have described the stone
in the wall at Lefky to the post-guide, and he is to send it
after me by the first Tartar coming.

March 21st. — Quitting Yizierkhan, which we did this
morning by six o'clock, we again continued our ascent
amidst mountains of the same bold and craggy character,
the only vegetation being shrubs, amongst which the berries
of the arbor vitcd scented the air with their peculiar perfume.
The smell reminded me of painting in oils, and my servant
exclaimed, "What a strong smell of castor oil!" We at
length reached a summit, which I expected would be quite
sterile, but found a fine cultivated country, the sloping hills
clothed with the mulberry, and the plains with corn; and
this continued with little change for about twelve or fifteen
miles, until we arrived at the town of Sohoot.

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