516 ON CAVES CONTAINING BONES 



plains of that vast continent, have never been confirmed, 

 and can only pass for fables. 



NOTE 



ON THE CAVES IN WHICH BONES OF CARNIVOROUS ANI- 

 MALS OCCUR IN GREAT QUANTITIES. 



THE extraordinary accumulations of fossil bones in 

 caves and caverns in different districts, especially in those 

 composed of limestone, have for many years engaged 

 the attention of inquirers; and, of late, have afforded 

 many interesting facts to the geologist and zoologist. In 

 England, as will appear from the following details, many 

 different fossil animals have been discovered in limestone 

 caves ; but hitherto the caves in Scotland, which will 

 probably be found to contain interesting documents of an 

 ancient population, have not been examined. As the 

 subject is a curious and interesting one, we shall, in the 

 following pages, principally from Cuvier*s great work, 

 lay before our readers a pretty full account of the diffe- 

 rent caves, especially those that afford bones of carnivo- 

 rous animals. 



Numerous caves, brilliantly decorated with stalactites 

 of every form, succeeding each other to a great depth in 

 the interior of mountains, communicating together by 

 openings so narrow as scarcely to allow a man to enter 

 them crawling, and which are yet found strewed with an 

 enormous quantity of bones of large and small animals, 

 are without dispute among the most remarkable pheno- 

 mena which the history of fossil remains could present to 



