)tii mr Discovert/ of Bone Caves in New Holland, 365 



ihf'the scientific world, l)oth in Great Rritain artd 6n the cdfi- 

 Cinent of Europe, has just been made in the interior of this 

 Colony, by that very respectable Colonist and Magistrate, 

 George Kankin, Esq. of Bathurst. The discovery I allude to 

 is that of a great quantity of fossil bones, in a cave near the 

 penal settlement of Wellington Valley, and about SIO ntWes west 

 from Sydney. ''''' 



V'The country in the neighbourhood of Wellington Valley is of 

 KVnestone formation, and the limestone ridges are perforated by 

 numerous subterranean caverns, branching off in every direc- 

 tion, and forming chambers of the most grotesque, and at the 

 same time of the most imposing appearance. This remarkable 

 feature in the physical conformation of that part of the territory 

 is not peculiar, however, to the limestone ranges of Wellington 

 Valley. Similar caves are met with in Scotland, in Yorkshire, 

 and in other parts of Great Britain, on the continent of Europe, 

 io North America, and in short, wherever limestone abounds. 



In a late excursion to Wellington Valley, Mr Rankin visited 

 and explored a remarkable cave, about two miles from the set- 

 tlement, the existence of which had been known for a consider- 

 able time, and the entrance of which is in the face of the lime- 

 stone range, on the south side of the river Macquarrie, by a ger\t\e 

 declivity. Immediately beyond the entrance, the cave in ques- 

 tton expands into a lofty and spacious chamber, the roof of which 

 is beautifully ornamented with stalactites, many of which, how- 

 ever, have unfortunately been broken off by the scientific bar" 

 barfans of the neighbouring settlement. In beating gently 

 with a hammer on the sides of the cavern, the sound in one 

 part of it indicated the existence of another chamber separated 

 from the first by a thin partition ; and accordingly, on breaking 

 through the thin dividing wall of limestone, a second chamber 

 was discovereci, though of smaller dimensions than the first. 

 At the farther extremity of the first chamber, Mr R. discovered 

 a downward passage, which hedctcrniiiud to ixplon, and which 

 he found terminated in another cave or cl)anilM?r, tlio entrance 

 into which was by a precipitous tlescent. On lowering himself 

 down into this third chamber, into which no mortal man had 

 ever entered before (for the aborigines have a superstitious rcv 

 pugnancc to entering any cavern, saying, Kappa, the spirit of 



