OBSERVATIONS ON CAVES, &C. 



nothing could be more reasonable than the sentiment 

 that those animals, the remains of which are found 

 in vertical fissures and caverns beneath them, were 

 washed in by the torrent of water, when it began to 

 move upon the face of the earth: that the fluid 

 found them near the spot, or even at some distance 

 from it, and propelled them forwards to the vortex. 

 But as it is from the account of Moses probable, 

 that this rock is of recent formation, that could not 

 have been the case : it is more probable that these 

 animal remains, associated with marl and other 

 matter, obstructed the formation of the rock in those 

 places in which v/e now behold caverns and fissures, 

 and have remained there since that time. The sub- 

 siding of the rock, as observed befor.e, might have 

 widened those chasms ; and where the mouth of 

 them was open, the water might have carried away 

 the marl which had assisted in the formation of 

 them, and left them partly empty ; and where this 

 was not the case, when the water began to retire 

 from the earth, it would take away part of the ar- 

 gillacious matter with it, through the lower crevices 

 of the rock, and leave the opening but partially 

 filled with loam, or bones, loam and pebbles mixed, 

 the horizontal caverns being cleared out by the run- 

 ning off of the water, carrying the loam with it 

 would be left as fit habitations for carnivorous 

 animals : such, 1 conceive, was the cave at Kirkdale : 

 which was soon after, probably, inhabited by Hy- 

 enas, 



