AGE OP MAMMALS. 303 



whale of the Northern Sea, as they were dug up on the 

 borders of Lake Champlain, 60 feet above its waters, 

 and 150 above the level of the sea at the present time. 



413. Kirkdale Cave. The bones of animals of the 

 Post-tertiary age have been found to some extent in 

 caverns in Great Britain, on the Continent of Europe, 

 and in Brazil, in South America. The European caves 

 were dens of cave-bears, so called because they dragged 

 their prey into these caves. In England they were the 

 dens of hyenas. In South America they were occupied 

 by wolves and certain panther-like animals. The most 

 famous cave in England is the Kirkdale Cave, in York- 

 shire, the mouth of which was accidentally discovered 

 by some workmen in 1821, in quarrying stone on the 

 slope of a limestone hill. I transcribe an account of it 

 given by Agassiz. " Overgrown with grass and bushes, 

 the mouth of this cave in the hill-side had been effectual- 

 ly closed against all intruders, and it was not strange 

 that its existence had never been suspected. The hole 

 was small, but large enough to admit a man on his hands 

 and knees ; and the workmen, creeping in through the 

 opening, found that it led into a cavern, broad in some 

 parts, but low throughout. There were only a few spots 

 where a man could stand upright ; but it was quite ex- 

 tensive, with branches opening out from it, some of 

 which have not yet been explored. The whole floor 

 was strewn, from one end to the ether, with hundreds 

 of bones, like a huge dog-kennel. The workmen won- 

 dered a little at their discovery, but, remembering that 

 there had been a murrain among the cattle in this re- 

 gion some years before, they came to the conclusion that 

 these must be the bones of cattle that had died in great 

 numbers at that time, and, having so settled the matter 

 to their own satisfaction, they took little heed to the 

 bones, but threw many of them out on the road with the 

 common limestone. Fortunately, a gentleman living in 

 the neighborhood, whose attention had been attracted 



