98 EXPLORATIONS OF THE BRIXIIAM CAVE. chap. vi. 



woi-ks of man from undisturbed loum or clay, under stalag- 

 mite, mingled with the remains of extinct animals, and that 

 all these must have been introduced "before the stalagmite 

 flooring had been formed." He maintained that such facts 

 could not be explained away by the hypothesis of sepulture, 

 as in Dr. Buckland's well-known case of the human skeleton 

 of Paviland, because in the Devon cave the flint implements 

 were widely distributed through the loam, and lay beneath 

 the stalagmite. 



As the osseous and other contents of Kent's Hole had, bj' 

 repeated diggings, been thrown into much confusion, it was 

 thought desirable in 1858, Avhen the entrance of a new and 

 intact bone-cave was discovered at Brixham, three or four 

 miles west of Torquay, to have a thorough and systematic 

 examination made of it. The Eoyal Society made two 

 grants towards defraying the expenses,* and a committee of 

 geologists was charged with the investigations, among whom 

 Mr. Prestwich and Dr. Falconer took an active part, visiting 

 Torquay while the excavations were in progress under the 

 superintendence of Mr. Pengelly. The last-mentioned geo- 

 logist had the kindness to conduct me through the sub- 

 terranean galleries aitcr they had been cleared out in 1859; 

 and I saw, in company with Dr. Falconer, the numerous 

 fossils which had been taken from the subterranean fissures 

 and tunnels, all labelled and numbered, with references to a 

 journal kept during the progress of the work, and in which 

 the geological position of every specimen was recorded with 

 scrupulous care. 



The discovery of the existence of this suite of caverns near 

 the sea at Brixham was made accidentally by the roof of 

 one of them falling in. None of the five external openings 

 now exposed to view in steep clifts or the sloping side of a 



* When these grants failed. Miss quay, liberally supplied the funds for 

 Burdctt Coutts, then residing at Tor- cuuipletiug the work. 



