ON KENT S CAVERN, DEVONSHIRE. 27 



Smerdo7i's Passage. — The new mouth is the external entrance, not only 

 of the North Sally-port, but also of a previously unsuspected passage or under- 

 vaulting, which, so far as is at present known, varies from 4 to 10 feet in 

 width, and extends in a north-westerly direction. It has received the name 

 of " Smerdon's Passage." On abandoning the tunnel just spoken of, the 

 workmen were directed to commence the exploration of this Passage ; and at 

 the end of last month (August 1870) they had advanced about 20 feet into 

 it. The deposit it contains is the common typical cave-earth, having, here 

 and there, a thin patch of stalagmite, but nothing like a continuous floor, and 

 everywhere reaching the roof, or within a few inches of it. It contains a 

 considerable number of pieces of limestone, none of which exceed 10 lbs. in 

 weight, a few subangiilar and rounded pieces of red grit, and blocks of Old 

 Stalagmite in abundance, some of which measure from 5 to 6 cubic feet. 



Numerous bones and upwards of 700 teeth were found, the latter of which 

 may be thus apportioned : — 



per cent. per cent. 



Hyisna 57 Deer, including " Irish 



Horse 19 Elk " and Reindeer. . 2 



Ehinoceros 12 Elephant 1 



Badger 3 Wolf ] 



Bear 2 Lion I each less than 1 



Fox 2 Dog (?) J 



Ox 2 



As in other parts of the cavern, some of the bones were gnawed, some 

 discoloured, and some more or less covered with films of stalagmite. With 

 them were found several agglutinated lumps of boaes of very small animals*, 

 coproHtes, three limpet-shells, a bit of charcoal, and four good flint flakes. 



Amongst the foregoing facts there are some on which it is difiicult to abs- 

 tain from speculation. 



As has been already stated, the late Mr. M'Enery named the Sally-ports 

 from a settled conviction that they led to external entrances in the hill-side. 

 The facts on which he relied were, first, the direction in which they extended, 

 and, second and chiefly, the tunnels, which he ascribed to burrowing animals. 

 The first was obviously not very conclusive ; for he could not but be aware 

 that unless the so-called Sally-ports extended considerably beyond the 

 point to which he could penetrate, and without much tortuosity — points on 

 wluch no opinion could be formed — they must fall far short of the exterior. 



With reference to the tunnels, even if ascribable to burrowing animals, it 

 by no means followed that they were commenced at, or connected with, the 

 exterior of the cavern ; for as there were well-known spots in each of the 

 branches in question where there was no stalagmitic floor, there was no dif- 

 ficidty in supposing the animals to have commenced their burrows in these 

 unprotected localities, to have sunk more or less vertically in the deposit, and 

 at a suitable depth to have proceeded horizontally. In the Erfth Eeport, 

 mention was made of vertical shafts of this kindf; and that this was the 

 actual mode of operation is now rendered still more probable by the fact that 

 no tunnels occur at or near the inner end of either of the two branches J. 



* One of tliese lumps was found to contain upwards of 1200 bones. 



t See Report Brit. Assoc. 1869, p. 203. 



I The Committee are well aware that the cavern is still occasionally frequented by ani- 

 mals. In the Fifth Report they mentioned the annoyance which the visits of a rat had 

 occasioned ; bats are often seen flitting to and fro or suspended from the walls, and they 

 sometimes make a meal on the candles ; and in the summer considerable numbers of the 



