2 wees ote : : : 
Notice and Review of the Reliquiae eeeranae. 323 
action, ce gf antediluvian animal existence, as the Euro- 
ean cav : 
Le It s well iow, that the most note _of the American 
: ‘caverns occur in our western States ina limestone, probably — 
c the same character as those in Europe containing bones” 
cane rican caves also contain, as is well known 
an Moikdvaty of stalactite and ree, 
er there exists in them all, one and only one layer of dilu- 
vial mud, we have not been able to certain from any 
account now before us. Many of them, however, contain 
large quantities of nitre. and we know not a more probable 
hypothesis than that which imputes its origin to the decom- 
position of animal substances. If we mistake not, we dis- 
cover in the following extract of a letter from Dr. Brown, 
to the Editor of this Journal, inserted in our first Volume, 
at the 147th page, evidence of the existence of the black 
animal dust which Professor Buckland found in the cave 
it Kubloch. 
“Tam much obliged to you for recalling my attention 
hat curious subject, (nitre caves,) as it has brought to 
recollection a fact, which | believe I omitted to men- 
in my gle lf (viz.) the existence of a black substance 
the clay under the rocks, of a bituminous appearance 
dsmell. This I remember to have seen ina rock-house, 
ar the Kentucky river, where very consider 
tities of sand-rock nitre ha d be een obtained. Th 
s, but resembled that of 
am quite unable to ac- 
tion o 
‘ ee ; ion ee zi ve Is, 
ed the bitumen, I should ese have paid 
nto it. But perceiving no relation between 
enti 
bck nitre and the masses of thi 
understand what Mr. Barrow’s mea saying, that many 
pel loads of animal matter lay on the roof of the cav- 
Afri I saw no such matter on the roof of the 
| to the European caves 
‘The same was asserted to be the fact in reg 
lan it to be a deception. Holes’ 
examined them and found 
