Baron Cuvier o^i Caverns containins^ Bones. 279 



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Art. XIII. — Observations on Caverns containing Bones, 

 with an account of' the Grotto of' Oiselles, near Besarigon.* 

 By Baron Cuvier. 



The existence of caverns containing bones constitutes one o^ 

 those natural phenomena which are the most curious and in- 

 teresting in science. 



The cavern of Oiselles is of the same description as many of 

 those which are found in the mountains of Hungary, Ger- 

 many, some parts of France and England, and all of which 

 contain more or less immense quantities of the bones of ter- 

 restrial animals, the greater part of which are foreign to our 

 climate. 



Since the middle ages the caverns*of Harsh have been al- 

 ways celebrated both on account of their magnitude, and for 

 the great quantities of bones found in them. 



These bones are sold to the druggists by the name of uni~ 

 corn Jbssils, and they make use of them in medicine under 

 the name oi powder of fossil unicorn. 



The caverns in the mountains of Crapack in Hungary were 

 described in the seventeenth century. Towards the middle of 

 the eighteenth century, those of Friehleherg in Franconia be- 

 came objects of inquiry amongst several learned men, who 

 have described the bones with some accuracy. At the begin- 

 ning of the present century the caverns of Westphalia became 

 known, and still more recently many have been discovered 

 and described in Carniola. Within the last few years seve- 

 ral have been found in England and Wales, and which hav- 

 ing been examined with more care than any of the others, they 

 have furnished an astonishing quantity of bones of diiFerent spe- 

 cies. Professor Buckland, who has studied the English caverns 

 and the remains of the animals they contain with the most parti- 

 cular attention, wished to give an account of this great pheno- 

 menainall its generalities. Forthispurpose he travelled through 

 different parts of Germany and inspected all the grottos, 



• This interesting paper, translated from Le Globe, was read at the 

 Academy of Sciences on the 1 6th July 1827. It is the report of a com- 

 mission, composed of MM. Brongniart, Beudant, and Cuvier on the bones 

 collected in the grotto of Oiselles, and sent to the Academy by the pre- 

 fect of the department of Doubs. — Ed. 



