1822.] Bones discovered in a Cave at Kirkdale,in Yorkshire. 139 
that have lain the same length of time in diluvial sand, or gravel, 
and been subject to the constant percolation of water, have lost 
their compactness and strength and great part of their gelatine, 
and are often ready to fall to pieces on the slightest touch; and 
this where beds of clay and gravel occur alternating in the same 
quarry, as at Lawford. 
The workmen on first discovering the bones at Kirkdale, sup- 
posed them to have belonged to cattle that died by a murrain in 
this district a few years ago, and they were for some time neg- 
lected, and thrown on the roads with the common limestone ; 
they were at length noticed by Mr. Harrison, a medical gentle- 
man of Kirby Moorside, and-have since been collected and 
dispersed among so many individuals, that it is probable nearly 
all the specimens will in a few years be lost, with the exception 
of such as may be deposited in public collections. By the kind- 
ness and liberality of the Bishop of Oxford (to whom I am also 
indebted for my first information of the discovery of this cave), 
end of C. Duncombe, Esq. and Lady Charlotte Duncombe, of 
Duncombe Park, a nearly complete series of the teeth of all 
these animals has been presented to the Museum at Oxford ; 
while a still better collection both of teeth and bones is in the 
possession of J. Gibson, Esq. of Stratford, in Essex, to whose 
exertions we owe the preservation of many valuable specimens, 
and who is about to present a series of them to our public collec- 
tions in London. W. Salmond, Esq. also, since I visited Kirk- 
dale in December last, has been engaged with much zeal and 
activity in measuring and exploring new branches of the cave, 
and making large collections of the teeth and bones, from which 
I understand he also intends to enrich our public cabinets in 
the metropolis. 1am indebted to him for the annexed ground 
plan of the cave, and its ramifications (P]. XIV. fig. 3).* Draw- 
ings by Mr. Clift, of some of the most perfect of Mr. Gibson’s 
specimens, have been sent to M. Cuvier, for the new edition of 
his work on fossil animals; copies of these have beer made for 
me by Miss Morland, and appear in the annexed plates, with 
many other drawings, for which I am indebted to the pencil of 
Miss Duncombe ; and the Rev. George Young, and Mr. Bird, 
of Whitby, in their History of the Geology of the coast of York- 
shire, have given engravings of some teeth that remain in their 
possession. 
It appears that the teeth and bones which have as yet been 
* Plan of the cavedrawn and measured by W. Salmond, Esq. The figures within 
the lines express the width of the cave in feet and inches, those outside its height. Both 
these have been enlarged by removing stones to obtain a passage. 
A. Original slope of the hill. 
B. Rubbish filling the mouth of the cave. 
C. Original entrance of solid rock. 
D. Portion of cave destroyed by quarrying. 
E. Present entrance of cave. 
