1908. The Biitish AssociatioJi in Dublin. 23 [ 



ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS BEARING ON IRISH 



NATURAL HISTORY. 



SECTION C— GEOLOGY. 

 ON THE CAVE OF CASTLE POOK, iNEAR DONERAILE, CO. CORK. 



BY R. J. USSHER. H. J. SEYMOUR, E. T. NEWTON, AND R. F. SCHARFF 



Casllepook Cave, north of Doiieraile, consists of an extensive series of 

 deep parallel galleries in limestone. Most of them are narrow, with 

 vertical sides up to a certain level, where the walls recede with a wide 

 sweep, forming an arched tunnel. Near the top of this the galleries are 

 still spanned in places by an ancient stalagmite floor. Some of the sand 

 on which the latter was formed is still adhering to it underneath. Beds 

 of sand filled the lower parts of many galleries. This sand contained, 

 sometimes down to 12 feet, numerous remains, chiefly of Reindeer. 



The geological evidence as to the age of the cave is unsatisfactorj'. 

 Only lolled and unstriated pebbles have yet been discovered in the cave, 

 and no foreign erratic. This would seem to indicate that the material 

 now in the cave, and hence the cave itself, is pre-Glacial in age, for 

 otherwise a pebble of the granite known to be widely distributed 

 throughout the overlying Boulder-clay might reasonably have been ex- 

 pected to occur amongst the large number of boulders found in the 

 various passages. No such pebble has, however, been found. The in- 

 ference, therefore, on more or less negative evidence, is that the cave 

 was formed in pre-Glacial times. 



The bird remains found in the cave call for no special remarks. More 

 than half are referable to the Domestic Fowl, Turkey, and Duck, though 

 some of the latter may belong to the wild form. Like the bones of the 

 Rook, which are also numerous, the}- may have been brought in recenth* 

 by Foxes. The remainder all belong to such species as are now found 

 in the neighbourhood. 



The Mammalian remains are of a very different character. It is true 

 that the bones of the Rabbit, Sheep, Ox, Horse, Pig, Fox, Cat, and Rat 

 seem mostly of comparatively recent origin. By far the greatest number 

 of the bones found belong to the Reindeer and Bear. The exceedingly 

 numerous bone splinters, the gnawed bones of Reindeer, and the presence 

 of many bones of eld and young Hytenas seem to indicate co-existence in 

 Ireland of the latter and the typicallj^ Arctic species. The Hyiena, which 

 had not previously been known to have ever inhabited Ireland, is closely 

 related to that now living in vSouth Africa. Other animals, whose re- 

 mains were probably dragged into the cave by Hyaenas, are the Mam- 



