MILKY GROTTO, Crypta Lactea, a mile distant from the ancient village of Bethlehem, is said to have been thus denominated on occasion of the blessed Virgin letting fall some drops of milk whilst suckling Jesus in this grotto; and hence it has been commonly supposed that the earth of this cavern has the virtue of restoring milk to women who have grown dry, and even of curing fevers.
GROTTO is also used to signify a little artificial edifice made in a garden, in imitation of a natural grotto. The exterior of these grottoes is usually adorned with rustic architecture, and the interior with shell-work, fossils, and the like, finished likewise with jets d'eau or fountains.