CAVE DWELLINGS OF MEN. 35 



hinges, of which the socket-holes of the hinges and holes for the 

 admission of the arm behind the door to draw back the bolt are 

 the only traces now to be seen. This structure had an upper 

 story, but much less extensive than the lower story. Many other 

 caves, similarly constructed but containing fewer rooms, are found 

 all along the valley. At one of them the cliff is so well preserved 

 as to show how access was gained. It was by means of holes cut 

 in the rock for steps, which could be easily climbed by the aid of 

 a rope hanging down from above. 



Vestiges of cave dwellings are very abundant in America, but 

 they have not been made the subject of special study to so great 

 an extent as those of Europe. They are prehistoric, ancient, or 

 relatively modern, and represent various stages of civilization in 

 those who inhabited them. Some are found as far north as Alaska, 

 where, according to Dr. Peet, who has published in the American 

 Antiquarian excellent illustrated summaries of the results of the 

 explorations of the cliff and cave dwellings, " they are associated 

 with shell-heaps ; others in the Mississippi Valley, where they are 

 closely connected with the mounds; others in the midst of the 

 canons of Colorado and Arizona, where they are associated with 

 structures like the Pueblos ; others in the central regions on the 

 coasts of Lake Managua, in Nicaragua ; and still others in the 

 valley of the Amazon in South America." According to Mr. 

 William H. DalL the cave-dwellers of Alaska were neolithic. The 

 caves in Tennessee are described by Prof. F. W. Putnam as con- 

 taining tokens of a neolithic character ; but it is uncertain whether 

 they preceded the mounds or were contemporaneous with them. 

 Dr. Earl Flint has described caves in Nicaragua which strike him 

 as being very ancient ; and certain caves in Brazil are supposed 

 to be palaeolithic. 



The most interesting of the American cave dwellings, and 

 those which have received the most attention, are those which 

 are associated and almost confounded with the cliff dwellings of 

 the canons of Arizona and Colorado. So nearly related are the 

 cliff and cave dwellings of this region, in fact, that it seems to 

 have been to a considerable extent a question of the shaping of 

 the rock whether the habitation should be one or the other. Re- 

 garding the two as a whole, they were very numerous, and indi- 

 cate the former existence of a large population. Major Powell is 

 quoted as having expressed surprise at seeing in the region noth- 

 ing for whole days but cliffs everywhere riddled with human 

 habitations, which resembled the cells of a honeycomb more 

 than anything else. Yet it is probable that only a small fraction 

 of these singular dwellings have been seen, while the number of 

 those that have been even only superficially explored is much less. 



An excellent, finely illustrated description of some of these 



