6 . REPORT — 1871. 



1 of Bear, 1 of Horse, 1 of " Irisli Elk," 2 jaws of Badger containing four 

 teeth, bones and fragments of bone, some of which were gnawed and some 

 invested with films of stalagmite. 



It has been already stated that at its eastern extremity the Second Reach 

 of Smerdon's Passage terminated in a " low-level " External Entrance, filled 

 with true Cave-earth below, above which lay an accumulation of smaU an- 

 gular stones with but little earth. In the lower deposit the ordinary mam- 

 malian remains were found, including teeth and bones of Hyasna, Horse, 

 Rhinoceros, " Irish Elk," Ox, Elephant, Bear, and Reindeer ; but the only 

 thing met with in the materials above was an amber bead, ellipsoidal in form, 

 but somewhat thicker on one side than the other, -9 inch in greatest dia- 

 meter and -5 inch in least, and having at its centre a cylindrical perforation 

 about -2 inch in diameter. 



The excavation of Smerdon's Passage was completed on December 31st, 

 1870, after very nearly five months having been expended on it. From its 

 prevalent narrowness, the labour in it had been attended with much dis- 

 comfort ; but probably no branch of the Cavern had, on the whole, yielded 

 a larger number of mammalian remains. 



Minor Ramifications of the North Salh/-port. — -It was stated in the Sixth 

 Report (1870)*, that there were one or two ramifications of the North Sally- 

 port which had not been excavated, having been passed intentionally in the 

 progress of the work. To these attention was given on the completion of 

 Smerdon's Passage, and they were taken in the order of their proximity to 

 the " Third External Entrance," — the first discovered of the low-level series. 



The first was a small opening in the east wall of the last Reach of the 

 North Sally-port, having its limestone floor veiy slightly above the top of 

 the deposit in that Reach. It proved to be a tunnel in the limestone, having 

 a rudely triangular transverse section, from 2-5 to 3 feet in height and 

 breadth, and extending eastwards or outwards towards the hill-side for 

 about 8 feet, where it terminated in material of the same character as that 

 found above the Cave-earth in the first and second low-level External En- 

 trances, from the first of which it was about 12 feet distant. There is no 

 doubt that it is a third of these low-level Entrances, and, to use the time- 

 honoured phraseology in descriptions of Kent's Hole, it may be termed the 

 " Oven " Entrance. It contained but little deposit, and the only noteworthy 

 objects found in it were one tooth of Horse, a few bones and bone fragments, 

 and a grit pebble. 



The second of these small lateral branches was in the south wall of the 

 immediately preceding or penultimate Reach of the Sally-port, and was 

 too narrow to admit of being excavated in " Parallels " and " Levels." In 

 it were found 7 teeth of Hyaena, 10 of Horse, 3 of Rhinoceros, 1 of Bear, 

 1 of Lion, 1 of " Irish Elk," 1 of Ox, 16 of Badger in parts of 4 jaws, 10 of 

 Rabbit in parts of 2 jaws, portion of an antler, a right femur of Beaver, 

 bones and fragments of bone, a bit of charcoal, and a grit pebble. It is 

 noteworthy, perhaps, that the fine specimen of Beaver's jaw mentioned last 

 yearf was found about 4 or 5 feet from the femur just named, and in the 

 fourth " foot-level." 



The third and last of these lateral ramifications was near that part of the 

 SaUy-port termed the " Islands "+. It yielded 2 teeth of Hyaena, 1 of 

 Horse, 3 of Rhinoceros, 1 of Bear, 3 of « Irish Elk," 4 of Deer, 2 of Badger, 

 4 of Rabbit, an astragalus of Ox, bones and bone fragments, and, in the 

 uppermost " foot-level," 2 land-sheUs. 



* See p. 25. f See Sixth Eeport, 1870, p. 24. f Ibid. p. 2L 



