ON THE CAVES IN THE MALAY PENINSULA. 573 



known, however, in similar localities in Perak and Pahang, as well as 

 Tenasserim and Sumatra. 



The whole of the block is perforated with caves of various sizes and 

 at various altitudes, as well as by vertical shafts leading to extensive 

 caverns deep in tlie rock. The greater number of those that are known 

 have never been thoroughly explored, owing to the difficulty of getting 

 about in them, and a large number must occur in the eastern and 

 northern sides, which have hardly, if ever, been visited. 



The caves specially examined were those on the south-west side of the 

 rock. Of these one known commonly as the Dark Cave opens about seventy 

 feet above the base of the cliff, and is accessible by a track leading up a 

 large mass of talus, now thickly covered with dense forest. The others 

 opened at, or near, the base of the cliff, and were therefore considered 

 more likely to produce human and animal remains than the less accessible 

 upper ones. INIany smaller caves at various points were more or less 

 cursorily examined ; but as they showed no signs of old cave floors, nor 

 any probability of their being productive in any way of anything of 

 interest, no extended researches were made in them. 



Most of the caves contain stalactites, often of large size, but as it 

 was evident that the rate of deposit varied in different parts of the caves 

 it was quite impossible to conjecture the size of the floors in this way.^ 

 It was noticed, however, that in one cave considerably higher than the Dai'k 

 Cave the deposit was much more rapid, the water passing through the 

 cave depositing its lime on the floor in various forms. In one spot, where 

 the water ran in a succession of wavelets over a sloping surface, the whole 

 of the floor was covered with lime deposit in the form of waves. Here, 

 therefore, the deposit was of rapid growth. 



In most of the darker caves the floor was covered with a layer, six or 

 more feet deep, of bat-guano, mixed with a little soil, derived from 

 washings down from the open shafts, and more or less impregnated with 

 lime. In some cases crusts of calcareous mud were thus formed, which 

 broke through on being stepped on. Similar deposits, hardened into rock 

 of a tough nature, were found outside the mouth of the Dark Cave. 



Here and thei'e were found layers of stalagmite alternated with the 

 bat-dung, and forming an exceedingly hard, tough rock. The immense 

 accumulation of the bat-guano testified to the great age of some parts of 

 the caves at least. In one spot, beneath a bat's I'oosting- place, was a cone 

 of this deposit fully twelve feet in height. Beneath the shafts were large 

 accumulations of soil, fallen rocks and trees, and several times bones of 

 monkeys were found there, the animals having fallen from the top and 

 been killed. 



The Dark Cave. 



This cave opens towards the south, on the face of the cliff, and runs in 

 a N.N.E. direction. The mouth is twelve yards in width and of a con- 

 siderable height. About fifty yards from the mouth is a shaft communi- 

 cating with the top of the cliff, after which the passage runs in a more 

 easterly direction to a larger open shaft, 374 yards from the mouth, 

 whence a passage leads in a direction of E.N.E. for 484 yards, the 

 total length being thus 858 yards. The height of the cave varies from 

 twenty feet, or thereabouts, to about seventy feet, but it was impossible to 

 measure, as the sides are very steep. This cave contains a considerable 



' The Malays are well aware of the growth of stalagmites, but are under the im- 

 pression that if one is transferred to a garden it will grow equally well. 



