154 Annals of the South African Museum. 



" When in search of Bushman remains we explored about a dozen 

 caves between the Knysna Heads and Plettenberg Bay, and though 

 we found several skeletons, they were all more or less in a bad state 

 of preservation, owing to the caves being more or less wet from the 

 overhead drip. Eventually we got to Cape Seal (Eob Berg), when 

 about a quarter of a mile east of the one in which E. E. Dumbleton 

 found the skeletons he sent you, we found a fairly dry cave. In 

 this we started work systematically to a depth of from 4 to 5 feet, 

 and after fourteen days' work we had found as many skeletons, con- 

 sisting of two infants, one half-grown female child, one adult woman, 

 and the rest adult males, all with the exception of the children, in a 

 good state of preservation ; they were lying on their sides, some- 

 times the right and sometimes the left, with knees drawn up towards 

 the chin. The debris in which we found them consisted of bones 

 of birds and animals, some sea- weed, ashes, and tons of every kind 

 of sea-shell from the adjacent ocean. The cave was about 40 feet 

 from the sea and about 30 feet above it. Everything in it was more 

 or less impregnated with salt, which, in my opinion, served to pre- 

 serve the bones, &c. Though the cave had a good many ash-heaps 

 in it, we found no signs of pottery or other utensils (excepting some 

 bone and stone knives) nor had any of the shells been subjected to 

 the action of fire ; many still had sea-weed adhering to them. I 

 consider that the great amount of shells and other debris to a depth 

 of 6 feet in places must have taken very long to accumulate." 



The description of a cave quite recently discovered is sent me by 

 Mr. S. J. Henkel, of the Forest Department ■■'- : — ■ 



" The cave, so-called, is an overhanging mass of rock. It is about 

 100 yards distant from the mouth of the river, and the floor of the 

 cave about 50 or 60 feet above sea-level. The cave is a fissure in 

 Table Mountain sandstone which here had a steep dip. The sketches 

 on page 15-5 will give an idea of the appearance of the cave. 



" In order to ascertain the nature of the deposits Mr. Witcher, sen., 

 dug a trench about the middle of the cave, 1 foot wide, across the de- 

 posit. When a depth of about 18 inches w^as reached the skull of a 

 human being was found in a fair state of preservation, Mr. Witcher 

 was much interested in this discovery, and decided to commence 

 operations at the southern extremity and carefully remove a section. 



"The material, consisting of shells, ash, &c., appeared useful as 

 manure, and with a view to utilising it a road and footpath were 

 constructed. The material, covering a section of about 9 square 



* A short account of the excavations carried out by us in this cave will appear 

 in an Appendix. 



