92 The Irish Naturalist. 



'* British Quadrupeds," a worthy successor of which has yet 

 to be written. One thing we can commend him for is his 

 refusal to introduce into his work the S co77iber sco77iber ^rinci^XQ, 

 whereby, according to Dr. Bowdler Sharpe (vide Preface) " the 

 correct title of the Badger should be Meles vieles (ly.) ; of the 

 Otter, Ltctra lutra (ly.) ; of the Roe-deer, Capreolus capreolus 

 (L-) ; of the common Porpoise Phoccz7ia phoccc7ia (ly.), and of 

 the Killer, Orca orca (I..) " ! 



NOTES ON THE IRISH CAVES. 



BY R. J. USSHER, J. P. 



Referring to Dr. Scharffs paper on Irish Caves in the Irish 

 Naturalist for March (p. 57), I am delighted that he has called 

 attention to this subject, for there is no reason why this 

 country, so rich in limestone, should not contain hoards of 

 remains of extinct animals in its cavern-deposits like other 

 countries, and like the two caves in this district (Dungarvan 

 and Blackwater) at Shandon and Ballynamintra, whose animal 

 remains have been reported on.' Dr. ScharfPs object in com- 

 mencing a list of caves is evidently with a view to future 

 searches in them for similar finds. It is well therefore to 

 bear in mind that limestone caves alone have the property of 

 preserving animal relics, and that it is vain to search caves in 

 other rocks for them. Nor are all limestone caves by any 

 means suitable places. Those that are large and open, such 

 as are most likely to be known and visited, are as a rule un- 

 promising, as well as those which contain a quantity of soft, 

 wet cave-earth, for there the drip is too copious and rapid to 

 form stalagmite. 



Nor again, can we hope for results from caves which, like 

 those near Mitchelstown, have been until recently inaccessible 

 from without, however intricate and extensive they may be. 



* Trans. RL Irish Academy^ vol. xxvi., part v., pp. 187-230, 



