5° 



HARDWICKE'S SCIENCE-GOSSIP. 



Island in the West Indies, in comparatively shallow 

 water. Our knowledge of the ranges of depth at 

 which Brachiopods exist has been considerably 

 extended. Thus, Mr. Davidson tabulates six species 

 from iooo to 1500 fathoms, four from 1500 to 1000, 

 and three from 2000 to 2900 fathoms. At that 

 enormous depth (three miles and a quarter), the re- 

 markable new and far ranging species of Terebratula 

 named Tcr. Wyvillii was procured from one station. 

 The exceeding delicacy and transparency of the 

 shell in many of the deep-sea forms is very extra- 

 ordinary. 



The brachiopods appear to adapt themselves 

 readily to every variety of depth. The deep-sea 

 forms however are apparently widely distributed ; 

 below 2000 fathoms the same species recur again and 

 again. In a word, the uniformity of the abyssal forms 

 is just as marked among this group as among others, 

 and results probably from the influences of temperature 

 which never exceeds a few decrees above freezing- 

 point below a certain depth. Mr. Davidson gives 

 full descriptions of the new species, clears up the 

 history and synonymy of many forms before imper- 

 fectly known, and conveys a considerable amount of 

 valuable information in a condensed form relative to 

 the geographical and bathymetrical distribution of 

 the 130 recent species. Therefore his report is 

 especially valuable to students, who will find therein 

 an epitome of our present knowledge concerning 

 the living members of this interesting group of 

 organisms. 



A LADY'S VISIT TO A DERBYSHIRE 

 CAVERN. 



ONE of the most beautiful, interesting, and at the 

 same time least known of all the natural 

 curiosities, which render the peak of Derbyshire 

 famous, is Bagshaw's Cavern, Bradwell, near Castle- 

 ton. Fifty years ago an account of it was published 

 in "Picturesque Excursions in the Peak," and also 

 in Hutchinson's "Tour through Derbyshire;" but 

 few of the later guide-books even mention it. On 

 one of the few fine days of last summer, my brother and 

 I left Miller's Dale station, soon after nine o'clock, on 

 a walking tour through the Peak, intending first to 

 visit this wonderful cavern. After a lovely walk 

 through Tideswell, Hacklow, and past Ilazlebadge, 

 we reached Bradwell a little before twelve o'clock, 

 and found the proprietor of the cavern, Mr. John 

 Hall, ready to accompany us. 



After providing ourselves with candles, matches, 

 magnesium wire, &c, at his house, we proceeded to 

 the cavern, the entrance to which lies on the hillside, 

 about a quarter of a mile south-west of the village. 

 Here Mr. Hall has erected a stone building for the 

 accommodation of visitors, and has spent much time 

 and money to make the exploration of the cavern 



easier. Having put on gingham dresses to protect 

 our own, as the cavern is in some places narrow and 

 rather wet, we, each carrying a light, commenced 

 our journey by descending one hundred and twenty- 

 seven steps, most of them cut out of the solid lime- 

 stone, the guide first, and my brother bringing up the 

 rear. On leaving the bright sunlight it was difficult 

 to see anything, so we waited a few minutes to 

 become accustomed to the gloom. The steps follow 

 the course taken by the miners, who, in search of 

 lead, discovered the cavern ; the remains of the 

 mineral vein, with pieces of lead in it, can be plainly 

 traced in the roof. For some distance the rock is full 

 of Encrinites, and bands of chert (silicate of lime) also 

 appear, which to the geologist are well worth study- 

 ing. Nearly at the bottom the mineral vein becomes 

 " straiter," and soon after dies out. 



After entering the cavern we first proceeded through 

 a long passage, with numerous stalactites on each 

 side, to the " Hall of Fairies," which is covered with 

 crystallisations, and well deserves its name ; the 

 passage then becomes rather low and narrow for 

 some yards till it arrives at the "three lane ends," 

 where is a curious hole in the rock called the 

 " elephant's throat," and in the roof is a band of 

 chert like the sole of a foot, with stalactites hanging 

 from the toes, which, from its enormous size (about 

 five feet long), is called the " Giant's Foot." 



Taking the way to the right for about fifty yards 

 we came to the "church hole," which is 30 feet 

 long, 15 feet wide, and about 40 feet high, the sides 

 being covered with incrustations in all stages of 

 growth. Returning to the " Giant's Foot "we now 

 took the path to the left, and soon reached the " Bell 

 House," in the roof of which are a number of holes 

 looking like bells hanging in a church tower. A 

 little further on we observed a stalagmite, about 3 

 inches across the bottom, and 4 inches high, formed 

 by drops of water continually falling from the roof, 

 where they have left but little deposit in the shape of 

 stalactite. As we proceeded we saw on the sides 

 nodules of chert of all shapes imbedded in the lime- 

 stone, resembling flies, beetles, butterflies, &c. ; we 

 then came to the "Bursting of the Tomb," where 

 the crystallisations in one part resemble a mass of 

 maggots, and in another look as if melted wax had 

 been poured over the rocks ; and the guide told us of 

 one visitor who was so incredulous about the matter, 

 that he actually applied the lighted candle to see if 

 he could not detect what he thought was a fraud, and 

 not the work of nature. The passage now becomes 

 covered with brilliant crystallisations, numbers hang- 

 ing from the roof, some of them after growing straight 

 for a time, turn up at the point and form hooks, 

 others resemble stags' horns, &c. For a few yards 

 these crystallisations are lost, then suddenly reappear 

 more beautiful than before. Amongst the many 

 grotesque forms they assume, one resembles an 

 elephant's head, with trunk and tusks, and near it 



