OF THE CAVE AT KIHKDALB, 3& 



the elephant, the race might have become extinct 

 here by the young ones being destroyed by the Hy- 

 aenas. It was before observed, that the number of 

 teeth of that animal was small, and that they must 

 from their size have belonged to very young ones ; 

 the old ones would die of age, and the race here be* 

 come extinct: so it might have been with the rhinoce- 

 ros and hippopotamus. The Hyaenas having perhaps 

 destroyed all the animals in the vicinity of the cave, 

 began to devour one another, and the last may have 

 devoured part of his own body, so as to have died of 

 the wounds, and the race thereby have become ex* 

 tinct. It is observed by Mr. Buckland, that the 

 Keeper of Mr. WombwelFs collection of beasts said, 

 that he had some years ago under his care an Hyae- 

 na, which ate off his own fore paws : should we be 

 surprised, therefore, that when pinched with hunger, 

 those that inhabited the cave at Kirkdale should de- 

 vour one another, and the last of them be the cause 

 of his own death ? 



As to the mud which was at the bottom of the 

 cave, a small quantity of it might have been left at 

 the subsiding of the water at the deluge ; and while 

 the Hyaenas inhabited the cavern, some might have 

 been brought through the crevices, by the action of 

 water, and have increased that sediment by run- 

 ning down the sides, and from the roof of the cave, 

 from the incumbent land ; and the Hyaenas walking 

 over the bones and teeth which were then in the 

 cave, would press them into the mud in a horizontal 

 and other positions ; and from the Hyaenas going 

 to and fro in the cave, the formation of stalagmite 



