260 report — 1865. 



dripping with a black seam on its top, resembling coffee-grounds, and pos- 

 sibly chiefly consisting of the droppings of Bats. Over this deposit there lay 

 three feet of a reddish black loam, much hardened here and there by stalag- 

 mitic infiltrations ; and over this a seam of yellow earth, from half an inch 

 to three inches in thickness, preceded* by a bed of a brick-red clay, averaging 

 from 3 to 4 feet, and also interspersed with shelves and hardened masses of 

 dripping. 



So far, as regards Mnaidra Cave, not a trace of organic remains was visible ; 

 and, excepting in the Middle Cave, two teeth (much worn) of the Miocene 

 Shark (Careharodon megalodon) (a fossil found in the calcareous sandstone 

 overlying that in which* the cave existed, and possibly washed out of it), also 

 in the brick-red clay a jaw of Armenia, closely allied, if not identical with, 

 A. pratmsis, and frog's bones, both caves seem so far to have been filled up 

 at the same time, and subjected to exactly the same influences. The Middle 

 Cave continued to receive red earth slowly until within 6 feet of its roof, 

 where a shelf of stalactite, containing abundance of recent land shells, bones, 

 and teeth of the Gigantic Dormouse, marked a period of prolonged tranquillity, 

 which was again broken by an influx of red earth to within 3 feet of the 

 roof, when the stalagmite filled it up. There was no appearance of fissure on 

 the roof of this cave, but it had many lateral rents ; I did not, however, pene- 

 trate beyond a few yards on account of the great difficulty in working the 

 deposits ; I could see, however, that at no period in the history of the filling 

 up of this cave was there any evidence of a large body of water having 

 passed down it. 



Turning back to Mnaidra Cave, it was now very clear that a decided 

 change had taken place in the mode and nature of its deposits ; for on the 

 afore-mentioned shelf of stalagmite, and about halfway up, were rounded 

 water- worn pebbles, interspersed among the red earth and calcareous infil- 

 trations. Here were found many fragments and a few entire teeth of the 

 Elephant, together with abundant remains of birds' bones of large dimen- 

 sions, and teeth and bones of Myoscus melitensis. As the adit was being 

 pushed inwards the fossiliferous deposit increased from 4 to 6 feet in thick- 

 ness, and ran along the eastern wall, where it changed to a blue and red clay 

 in nodides, whilst here and there depended masses of stalactite and dripping, 

 in which were also found many Elephant's teeth and bones, associated with 

 land snails of such species as Helix aspersa, H. candidissima, H. vermimlata, 

 H. aperta, Bulimus decollatus, Clausilia syracusana, &c. As the tunnelling 

 proceeded inwards another yellow seam began to appear about 4 feet from 

 the bottom of the fossiliferous stratum, and to increase in depth until at the 

 distance of from about 45 feet from the entrance it suddenly deepened and 

 ran towards a depression on each side, and near the roof of the cave, where 

 it measured 4^ feet in thickness. It was composed entirely of the same 

 ochre-yellow earth as the underlying stratum before mentioned, and like it 

 was totally devoid of organic remains ; moreover, from the manner in which it 

 rose towards the opening on the side, there can be little doubt that it had 

 been either partially or wholly introduced into the cave through the above 

 epening. Although no alluvial deposit of the same description now exists 

 in the surrounding area, there is every likelihood that it was obtained from the 

 breaking up of the yellow variety of the calcareous sandstone, which has been 

 entirely denuded from the surfaces around the cave, and for a little distance 

 inland. On this yellow band lay another black seam, which thinned out on 



* [The author probably means ' succeeded.'— Cr. Busk.] 



