ON THE EXPLORATION OF THE SETTLE CAVES. 219 



Carte Gcologique du royaume que notre Gouvernement vcut fairo cxecuter. 

 C'est cette absence qui m'a empeche de vous repondre plus tot, et je pronto 

 pour lo faire de la premiere suspension du travail. 



" Depuis longtemps du reste je desirais vous ecrire, tant pour vous remercier 

 de l'envoi de vos tres-interessantes publications que pour avoir quelques ren- 

 seignements sur la position definitive que vous assignez au depot ossifere de 

 la Caverne Victoria. Vous prevenez obligeamment mes desirs en resumant 

 dans votre lettre les rcsultats si curieux de vos recherches. II est certaine- 

 ment peu de cavernes qui aient fourni des faits aussi positifs dans l'ordre 

 gcologique. 



" La Chevre de nos cavernes ne peut etre distingue'e de la Chevre ordinaire. 

 Elle y est associe'e au Mammouth, au Rhinoceros tichorhhuis, a YUrsus 

 spelccus, etc. J'en maintiens absolument la coexistence avec ces especes 

 perdues. Ces observations corroborent done la votre, et je ne doute pas 

 qu'elles ne soient constamment confirmees a l'avenir. 



" Vous trouverez dans le compte-rendu du Congres prehistorique de 

 Bruxelles (1872) la discussion que M. Steenstrup a soulevee sur le memo 

 sujet. II admettait aussi que la Chevre, un petit Bceuf qui doit etre le Bos 

 taurus et d'autres especes avaient du etre amenees dans le pays apres 

 l'extinction des especes perdues. Je crois plutot que ces especes sont la 

 souche indigene de plusieurs de nos especes domestiques. Je regrette de 

 devoir vous ecrire en si grande hate, et vous prie d'agreer l'assurance de mes 

 sentiments tres-distingues. 



" E. Dupont." 



Goats' bones appear to be not uncommon in the hyaena-layer ; and an 

 obvious inference by those who disbelieve in the antiquity of that species is 

 that they have fallen from the upper beds of the Roman or Neolithic layer, 

 and become accidentally mixed with an older fauna. But our method of 

 working precludes such a supposition. The upper beds had been well worked 

 away some time before these bones were uncovered, and no such accident 

 could therefore arise. One rib of a small ruminant from the Iryaena-bed, with 



artificial marks upon it (No. ~\, has been already mentioned in the Report 



for 1875, p. 173. 



On the 2nd of May, 1876, another bone — a small humerus, No. ^ — was 



found, bearing very evident tool-marks. It occurred in Parallol 17, at 

 17 feet right of the datum line and at a depth from the original surface 

 of 15 feet. The marks are very clean cuts, as if made by a sharp instrument 

 — so sharp, indeed, as almost to suggest that they may have been done with a 

 metallic tool. The cuts, however, have evidently not been made subsequently 

 to the discovery of the bone ; for the surfaces therein exposed are of the 

 same colour and have the same dark and ochreous staining and incrustation 

 as the general surface of the bone. Its occurrence, moreover, at the depth 

 of 15 feet in the hyaena-layer, surrounded by bones and teeth of the hyaena, 

 bear, elephant, and rhinoceros, precludes us from assigning to it a modern 

 origin in spite of the sharp nature of the cuts. The heel of a milk-tooth of 

 ElepJias antiquus was found within six inches of it. It may be a question 

 whether a sharp flint-flake, properly hafted, may not be capable of producing 

 in a bone of a freshly-slaughtered animal marks similar to these. In the 

 absence of Prof. Busk it was forwarded to Mr. William Davies, of the British 

 Museum, and he pronounced upon it as follows : — The humerus " is that of 



