ON KENT’S CAVERN, DEVONSHIRE. 3 
bees have frequently been seen and heard in the innermost branches of the 
Cavern, very far beyond any glimmering of daylight. 
The Long Arcade.—It was stated in the Ninth Report (1878) that the 
* Long Arcade,” after extending about 50 feet beyond the point reached by 
the excavators at the end of August 1873, terminated in a large chamber 
termed by Mr. MacEnery the “ Cave of Inscriptions,” and sometimes the “Cul- 
de-sac.” On carefully perusing Mr. MacEnery’s “ Cavern researches,” how- 
ever, it was found that he regarded a large mass of Stalagmite on which are 
numerous inscriptions, and which it is proposed to call “The Inscribed Boss 
of Stalagmite,” as being in the Cave of Inscriptions, and not, as the Superin- 
tendents considered, in the Long Arcade. In other words, he held that the 
line of junction of the two branches was on the north-east of the Inscribed 
Boss, whilst they drew it some distance on the south-west. To prevent 
ambiguity, it has been decided to adopt Mr. MacEnery’s boundary and to re- 
gard the Long Arcade as extending from the south-west corner of the Sloping 
Chamber to, but not beyond, the Inscribed Boss. Thus defined, it stretches 
for about 225 feet in a tolerably straight line towards the south- south-west, 
varies in height from about 10 to 20 feet (the measurements being taken 
from the bottom of the excavations made by the Committee), and fiom 5 to 
nearly 20 feet in width. 
Besides being the only passage to the Cave of Inscriptions, whee 3 may be 
regarded as its expanded prolongation, it throws off three branches on the left 
or eastern side and one on the right. Of the former, the first, or most north- 
erly, is the ‘“ Charcoal Cave ” described in the Eighth Report*, the second is 
known as “ Underhay’s Gallery,” and the third, a few feet further south, con- 
sists of two successive and considerable chambers, termed “The Labyrinth ” 
and “The Bear’s Den.” The branch on the other, or right, side, which it is 
proposed to name “ Clinnick’s Gallery,” is at the inner extremity of the 
Arcade. 
So far as this branch of the Cavern is concerned, Mr. MacHnery’s re- 
searches entirely ceased about 12 feet before reaching the end of the Arcade, 
and throughout the remaining area the “ Granular Stalagmite ” (that which 
covers the “ Caye-earth ”) was everywhere continuous, and varied from 12 to 
30 inches in thickness. Its surface was occupied with large natural “ Basins,” 
some of them 12 inches deep, such as have been described in previous Re- 
portst. Whilst the excavation was in progress seyeral points of interest 
connected with the Basins were noted :— 
ist. The-Stalagmite forming their walls was harder and tougher than that 
surrounding them, whilst that composing their bottoms was comparatively 
soft and friable. 
2nd. Their walls were traceable through the entire thickness of the Stalag- 
mitic Floor ; in other words, during the entire deposition of the Floor, Basins 
had existed in it, the bottom-rising with the walls but at a slower rate. 
3rd. The water which filled them i in rainy seasons passed down through 
the bottom in 3 or 4 hours at most. 
4th. Immediately beneath most of the Basins there was an almost conti- 
nuous interspace of about half an inch vertically between the bottom of the 
Stalagmite and the top of the Cave-earth, caused, no doubt, by the finer par- 
ticles of the deposit being carried by the percolating water through interstices 
to a lower level. 
* Report Brit. Assoc. 1872, pp. 83-44. + Ibid. 1872, p. 45, and Be p. 201, 
