ON THE EXPLORATION OF THE SETTLE CAVES. 1G9 



to Elephant docs not give very strong indications. There seems a possibility 

 of its having been washed out of the lower cave-earth, which contains 

 Elephant-remains. 



Most probably both of these sources contributed to this deposit of bones ; but 

 that the greater part of them are washed out of the lower cave-earth seems 

 likely, for this reason — that not any fragments of bone were found through 

 the 19 feet of talus which lies between the Neolithic layer and the top of the 

 boulders. 



Work in CJiamber D. Neiu Galleries. — Besides the work which has been 

 done towards unfolding the glacial evidence at the mouth of the cave, 

 a considerable amount of work has been done in excavating chamber D, and 

 we have the result in a magniiicent series of bones. Chamber D will be re- 

 membered by those who made a thorough visit to the cave, and explored all 

 its narrowest recesses, as a very low chamber to the right of the principal 

 entrance, filled nearly up to the roof with soft wet mud. It was so low over 

 a greater part of its extent that progression could not be effected on hands 

 and knees, and a seq)ent-like movement through pools of water Ij'ing on soft 

 mud was the only way in which it could be visited. Chamber D now presents a 

 very different aspect. So extensive have been the workings there, that at 

 the entrance the ceiling is now 20 feet above one's head, and it gradually 

 declines towards the inner extremity to a height of 4 or 5 feet. It is about 

 20 feet wide and 110 feet long ; and two galleries have been discovered 

 leading off from it on the right. One is blocked at the entrance with thick 

 beds of stalagmite and fallen blocks of limestone, and has not been explored 

 hitherto. The other leads down at Parallel 44 into a chamber 44 feet long 

 with a N.E. direction, at a tolerably rapid gradient of about 1 in 4"5. At 

 the end of this isa narrow squeeze whicli admits your Eeporter for a short 

 distance only. The forbidden ground beyond has been visited by Mr. John 

 Birkbeck, Jun. ; and he reports that this pipe-like cavitj' proceeds a short dis- 

 tance further and crosses a narrow chasm abo\it 20 feet deep, down which he 

 descended ; but further progress proved imjiracticable. 



This gallery we propose to call the Birkbeck Gallery, in acknowledgment 

 of the energetic and valuable assistance of Messrs. John Birkbeck, Sen. and 

 Jun., to the cave exploration from its commencement in 1870. 



The Bemains found in Chamber D. — The Committee is much indebted to 

 Prof. Busk for his kindness in determining the bones found. 



Before being submitted to him they have been all marked with register 

 numbers* in the form of a fraction, the numerator (in this case 1) standing 

 for the year (1874), and the denominator for the no. of the " find " in the 

 year thus, -j-, |, g, &c. Eor 1875 the numerator is 2, and for 1876 it will be 

 3 if the exidorations continue, and so on. As records are kept of what 

 portion of the cave is explored in each year, this system will facilitate the 

 reference of any particular bone to its position in the cave. In the past 

 year the bones have also been marked with notes of their position. Thus 

 the large skull of the Grisly Bear -^^ is marked " P 37, L 4-0, D 4-0," which 

 means that it was found in the 2 feet Parallel 37, at a distance of 4 feet left 

 of the wall of the chamber, and at a depth of 4 feet from the surface. 



The note-book in which Prof. Busk's determination of the bones is written 

 win be preserved in the Giggleswick Museum for reference. 



His summary of the bones found in chamber D is as follows : — 



*■ This and other valuable services have been carefully carried out for the Committee by 

 Mr. Jackson, the Superintendent. 



