ON RAINS CAVE, LONGCLIFFE, DERBYSHIRE, 175 



specimen consists of a metacarpal, broken to extract the marrow. 

 It was found on March 22nd, 1890, in the Refuse Layer of the 

 central region, among the bones of the human skeleton described 

 on page 163. 



In some of the crevices and holes, the cave-earth was almost 

 free from stones ; and to a very large extent it consisted of small 

 bones, and bone dust. One specimen taken from the chamber at 

 the back of the large cave, weighed, when dried, 24 oz. After the 

 finer particles (bone-dust and heavy loam) were washed away, the 

 residue, consisting almost entirely of bones of small rodents, 

 frogs, etc., weighed 5^ oz., and occupied nearly the same 

 volume as before. 



In Mr. Davvkins' catalogue, the rabbit is mentioned once. But 

 the specimen he referred to was in a box which contained a 

 number of bones found during the excavation of 1888, and there- 

 fore near the surface, where also many other rabbits' bones were 

 found. This little circumstance is of value, for this animal is of 

 comparatively modern introduction into Britain, not earlier than 

 " in or just before the thirteenth century " according to Professor 

 Rogers (" History of Agriculture and Prices in England "). 



It is quite possible that the scraped bones were done so with 

 fiint knives or scrapers. If with bronze or iron knives, they must 

 have had very jagged cutting edges. But the hacked and cut 

 bones are very much more conclusive No implements of stone 

 could have produced the narrow and incisive cuts they exhibit. 



Here and there, and at all levels, considerable numbers of snails' 

 shells were found. These comprised all the commoner land 

 shells now in the district. And to these must be added the 

 aquatic anodonta cygnea, referred to on page 239 of the last 

 volume. 



In conclusion, although the yield of Rains Cave was very trifling 

 compared with that of Kent's Cavern at Torquay, or the Cresswell 

 Caves in this county, yet in certain respects it excels them. In 

 each of the latter caves there was a surface soil rarely exceeding 

 1 ft. in thickness, which contained objects ranging from Neolithic 

 times to the present. Nothing, however, could be made out, 



