ON CAVES. 105 
the pellets of owls, and lower down the bones of small animals, packing 
all the interstices. Therefore, it is necessary that in every case we should 
consider how the bones found in a particular cave got there. 
Mr, J. SratKArtr.—They do not eat in caves. We find in India that 
the tiger will not go into a cave where he has a wilderness or jungle at 
hand. This is so in the case of the tigers close by the Himalayas ; but 
another tiger, which is rather smaller, and is found on the other side of the 
Ganges, does go into caves, and has there been shot in the most plucky 
manner by British officers. If you get evidence from those caves of such a 
deposit of bones as has been described, then, doubtless, the inference which 
has been drawn will hold good. It may be that the hyzenas spoken of may 
have gnawed the bones before they got into the caves. When a lion ora 
tiger has killed an ox or other large animal, and sucked the blood or eaten 
part of the flesh, the jackals go to the carcass and finish the work, or the 
vultures assemble and tear it to pieces. 
Professor Hucures.—We have not found traces of the tigers behaving 
otherwise than according to their ordinary habits at the present time. We 
do, however, find remains of hyzenas in the caves, and, as we are informed, 
the hyzenas of to-day do leave their marks on the bones of the animals they 
eat, and other traces, just such as are found in the caves, and that, I think, 
is sufficient. With regard to the glacial epoch, I have confined myself to 
what has happened in one particular valley, and asked what is the order of 
events found there, for the glacial conditions found in another hemisphere 
can make no difference as far as this particular matter is concerned. The 
record of intermediate forms is exceedingly rare. If we could find in any 
of these caves a set of deposits representing every stage in the growth of - 
cavern-deposits, we should possibly get all the various developments of the 
intermediate forms of life ; but, not having these, we say that the remains we 
find are those of creatures which do suit their surroundings, and differ 
from the nearest allied forms by modifications such as might be carried 
out according to the laws of evolution as worked out and observed 
within the limits of our lives. It is one of those cases in which you have an 
hypothesis founded in the first place on one bit of evidence, and then 
supported by the comparison of that with another bit of evidence, 
until you get more and more data added to what was at first insufficient 
and the foundation of a tentative hypothesis only, and in the end you 
come to the conclusion that nothing but that hypothesis will fit in 
with all the observations made. With regard to what has been said about 
the fairy rings, what I meant was that the plant became locally extinct 
within the circle, and, if its possible area of growth were limited, and it 
were pushed to the margin, it might, in the same way, become totally 
extinct. As to species having died out, I need only mention the sea-cow, 
the dodo, and the auk. 
Mr. Partison.—I did not mean it in that way. 
Professor Hugurs,—Then, we are agreed. All we have to do is to show 
