210 BEPOET— 1880. 



diggings in the superficial deposits. These, however, are sufficiently 

 encouraging, and will be renewed on the first favourable opportunity. 



A. Leith Adams, 

 July 21, 1880. Secretary of the Committee. 



Report on the Caves and Kitchen-viidden at Carrigagower, Co. Cork. 



By R. J. UssHEE. 



These caves, whose original mouths are now probably destroyed or 

 concealed by rubbish, open at present into a quarry in a limestone knoll 

 on the townland of Cai-rigagower (' Rock of the Goat '), three or four miles 

 south of Middleton. They are not broad nor lofty, but have extensive 

 ramifications, especially that one which opens into the north-west part of 

 the quarry. At its eastern end, and at a depth of 20 feet from the surface, 

 the quarry is crossed by a cave now exposed by the removal of its western 

 side. This cave runs in the line of a joint or fissure, and penetrates the 

 rock north and south. The floor of this cave, where it remains (through 

 the northern half of the exposed portion), is of stalagmite resting on pale 

 sandy clay that overlies the limestone bottom. On this stalagmite floor, 

 among the debris of broken stalactites, loose charcoal was found, and, on 

 removing a layer of the solid stalagmite, from 1 inch to 2 inches in thick- 

 ness, much charcoal was found embedded in it, with sandstone gravel and 

 some shells of a small Helix, marking the horizon of an old floor that 

 had been encrusted by the subsequent formation of stalagmite. The 

 portion of the cave laid open appeared in its southern part to have had no 

 stalagmite floor, but to have had an upward opening to the sky, through 

 which an accumulation of brown surface-earth and kitchen waste had 

 been introduced, extending downwards into the cave so as to have com- 

 pletely filled this vertical opening. The accumulation was uniform in 

 character, containing much charcoal, often in large lumps, and a great 

 profusion of bones and teeth of ox, sheep or goat, and pig, with some 

 remains of horse, dog, and cat, and a few of hare and rabbit. The bones 

 were usually broken. Their colour was generally yellowish, but often 

 blackened, though they exhibited no appearance of dendritis. In some 

 instances they appeared to have been burned, and charcoal was very fre- 

 quently found adhering to them and in their interstices. Numbers of 

 sea-shells occurred through the accumulation. Seven species of these 

 were noted, the most common being limpet and periwinkle. Many shells 

 of the common garden-snail also occurred. With the above were found 

 several articles of human use. Sharpeniug-stoues of different sizes, flat 

 circular pebbles, hammer-stones, flint-flakes artificially chipped, a frag- 

 ment of wheel-made pottery, two iron knives of an antique form, an iron 

 chisel, and a large flat-headed iron nail, some slag and a piece of jet (?). 

 A portion of a jet bracelet had previously been found in the same brown 

 surface-earth close to this spot. J. J. Smyth, Esq., to whose kind assist- 

 ance we are much indebted, found in a recess, close to the above spot, 

 a portion of the upper stone of a quern embedded in earth. Near the 

 centre of the quarry, a portion of a cave remains that has been partly 

 quarried away. In this was discovered, with bones of deer and ox, part 

 of another stone, very similar to the above portion of a quern, with a flat 

 surface and a circular hole in it, though not in a direction exactly perpen- 

 dicular to the surface. In the surface of an adjoining field a deeply 

 indented arrowhead of flint was found some time since, and labourers 



