To the tons of the larger animals, but the diluvial waters would introduce them piecemeal. Entire skeletons of larger animals have, however, been found under such conditions; that of the rhinoceros, for instance, in the Dream Cave, near Wirksworth, Derbyshire. The very existence of any orifice, however small, would be fatal to Mr. Penn's conclusion. A tolerable idea of the nature of these caves may be formed by inspecting the sections of two of them in Plate III.-Fig. 22 is a section of Kirkdale Cave, in Yorkshire, and Fig. 23 that of Gailenreuth, in Franconia. The diluvial mud is seen represented in both; and in each, the diluvium contains a multitude of organic remains:-in both these limestone caverns, stalactites are observed to depend from the roof, and a crust of stalagmite to invest the floor of the caves. same class of phenomena, and of contemporaneous origin, must be referred the breccia of the caves at Gibraltar; of which Major Imrie has given a very interesting account. It is concluded that the formation here is of two distinct eras, and of this conclusion there can be no doubt, from the fact, that in the concretion at the base of the rock, below King's Lines, which concretion consists of pebbles of the prevailing calcareous rock, there was found part of a green glass bottle, at a considerable depth under the surface. As it is altogether impossible to do justice to the interesting question of antediluvian caves, which would require an exclusive volume, we must be content with a mere glance at a limited number, and three shall be selected for this purpose; namely, the Cave of Gailenreuth, and those of Kühloch and of Kirkdale. The Cave of GAILENREUTH is very interesting, not only for the quantity of the organic remains contained in it, but for the high state of preservation in which they are found: diluvial mud and pebbles are found mixed up with the bones interspersed through the mud, and these are interposed, as represented in the plate, between the floor of the native rock and the stalagmitic covering which is superimposed. On the crust of stalagmite being penetrated, there is revealed a bed of brown diluvial loam and pebbles, mixed with angular fragments of rock, bones, and teeth. The entire depth of the diluvium was not ascertained by Professor Buckland, but it exceeds four feet. The quantity of bones which the cavern contains is immense. According to this distinguished author, the phenomena presented by the Cave of Gailenreuth, are in entire harmony with the caves of England. Dr. B. concludes that the cavern must have been an antediluvian den of wild beasts; but, according to his description of the cave, there is no evidence whatever of its ever having been used for such a purpose by antediluvian animals. The diluvial mud, the rounded pebbles, the angular fragments of rocks, and the organic wreck, however, prove indisputably, that the animal remains and mud, &c., must have been washed into the cave by a diluvial wave. The Cave of KÜHLOCH is remarkable for the black animal matter which it contains. Dr. Buckland describes this single cavern as equal in its dimensions to the interior of a large church :- "There are hundreds of cart-loads," says this interesting writer, "of black animal dust entirely covering the floor, to a depth which must average, at least, six feet; and which, if we multiply this depth by the length and breadth of the cavern, will be found to exceed five thousand cubic feet. The whole of this mass has been again and again dug over, in search of teeth and bones, which it still contains abundantly, though in broken fragments. The state of these is very different from that of the bones we find in any of the other caverns, being of a black, or more properly speaking, dark umber colour throughout, and many of them readily crumbling under the finger into a soft dark powder, resembling mummy powder, and being of the same nature as the black earth in which they are embedded. The quantity of animal matter accumulated on this floor is the most surprising and the only thing of the kind I ever witnessed; and many hundred, I may say thousand individuals must have contributed their remains to making up this appalling mass of the dust of death. It seems, in great measure, to be derived from commi nuted and pulverized bone; for the fleshy parts of animal bodies produce, by their decomposition, so small a quantity of permanent earthy residuum, that we must seek for the origin of this mass principally in decayed bones.' We cannot assent to Dr. Buckland's opinion, that this black animal matter proceeded from the bones of the animals which had perished. It is admitted that bones are found, or, at any rate, fragments of bones, among this immense mass of animal carbon: and if so, how came it to pass that they were not reduced to the same state of disintegration as the dust that embeds them? It is admitted that this animal earth has been stirred up, "again and again," in quest of the bones it envelopes; and which earth, indeed, is used as manure by the neighbouring peasantry: this fact will account for the state of the fragments: let it be remembered, too, that phosphate of lime, the solid matter of bones, is white, certainly neither black nor of a dark umber colour. The black animal matter is chiefly, there can be little doubt, derived from the decay of the animal muscle; the gelatinous cement of the bone could not furnish a sufficient supply for such an enormous mass as is presented in this charnel cavern. The bones would necessarily be stained with the carbonaceous matter in contact with them. Dr. Buckland, whose favourite theory is, that these caves were the dens of wild beasts-and who, of course, believes this to be one of the number-under the impression that the Cavern of Kühloch was an antediluvian bear's den, gives us the following curious calculation: "I have stated," says he, "that the total quantity of animal matter within this cavern cannot be computed at less than five thousand cubic feet: now, allowing two cubic feet of dust and bones for each individual animal, we have, in this single vault, the remains of at least two thousand five hundred bears, a number which may have been supplied in the space of one thousand years, by a mortality at the rate of two and a half per annum.' A very natural question arises -Is this animal dust indeed that of BEAKS? and on this question we may be fairly allowed to indulge our doubts. There is not the slightest evidence adduced to suppose, that the Cave of Kühloch had ever been a den for bears. The most difficult part of the question is, the presence of the black animal matter, and its absence in Kirkdale, &c. The unusual state of decay of the bones and teeth, in this black earth, Dr. Buckland is inclined to attribute to the exposed state of the cavern, resulting from its large entrance and contiguity to the atmosphere. We are inclined to attribute the entire phenomena more to the absence of the crust of stalagmite, and the non-infiltration of water from the roof of the cavern. The constant action of streams of water, impregnated with calcareous matter, in the Cave of Kirkdale and Gailenreuth, &c., it is obvious, would first separate and wash away the animal muscle from the bones; and finally, by investing the solid bones with a stalagmitic crust, preserve their integrity. The absence of such infiltrations in the case of Kühloch, affords an easy solution. Besides all this, from the large mouth of the cavern, the bodies of animals, in a state of comparative integrity, would be washed, by the influx of the diluvial tide, into the cave; whereas, from the contracted dimensions of the opening of the caves of Kirkdale, Gailenreuth, Bauman's Höhle, &c., the organic remains, as is proved to be the case, would only be transported into the interior, piecemeal or in fragments, as far as regards the larger animals. It is thus evident, that we might naturally expect to find a much greater mass of animal muscle collected together in this cavern. The brown diluvial loam, at any rate, refers the phenomena to the Noachic deluge. The celebrated Cave of KIRKDALE, near Kirby Moorside, in Yorkshire, must not be overlooked: its phenomena are interesting in a high degree; and Professor Buckland has the chief merit of having investigated its contents with great industry and indefatigable attention; he has described it with remarkable precision and particularity; and, indeed, his valuable communications, on the subject, to the Royal Society, in 1822, gave it considerable eclât; and public attention was roused and excited, in an extraordinary manner, to the wonderful phenomena it developed. This cavern has been explored by numbers: among others, Messrs. Gibson, Salmond, Young, &c. Mr. Gibson, it would appear, collected not less than three hundred canine teeth of the hyæna; and Dr. Buckland estimates the total number of hyænas, of which there is evidence, at not less than two or three hundred. It is the opinion of this eminent geologist, that Kirkdale Cave has been an antediluvian hyæna den; but the arguments adduced appear, to us, altogether inconclusive. The fossil bones which have been found in Kirkdale Cave, are those of the hyæna, tiger, bear, wolf, fox, weasel, elephant, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, horse, ox, deer, rabbit, (or hare) water rat, mouse, and birds. That hyænas should leave fragments of water rats, mice, and birds, is not likely; and it is more difficult still to account for the manner in which these animals came by the spoils of tigers, and bears; and, above all, the fragments of pachydermata, as of the elephant, rhinoceros, and hippopotamus: nor is it very likely they would devour their own species to such an extent. The birds, the organic remains of which were found in Kirkdale, appear to be the raven, pigeon, lark, a small kind of duck, and a bird about the size of the thrush. Dr. Buckland observes, that he has information of about ten elephant's teeth having been found, and that most of these teeth are broken. Could the jaws of even a hyæna crack an elephant's tooth? It is hard to be believed. Our author has seen six molar teeth of the hippopotamus, and at least fifty of those of the rhinoceros, admitted to have belonged to aged animals. Dr. Buckland thus concludes: "It must appear probable, from the facts discovered, particularly from the comminuted state and apparently gnawed condition of the bones, that the Cave of Kirkdale was, during a long succession of years, inhabited as a den of hyænas, and that they dragged into its recesses, the other animal N |