ON THE CAVES IN THE MALAY PENINSULA. 575 



of the cliff, filling up a V-shaped cleft. It was hard and tough, indeed, 

 nearly as hard as the surrounding limestone. Unfortunately, this rock, 

 the oldest deposit of all, contained no traces of any organic remains, 

 probably because the original mud was not suitable as a preserving medium. 



In the cavern were also the remains of cave floors of later date, con- 

 taining bones of bats and shells of terrestrial molluscs, such as commonly 

 occur round the caves, and loose on the floor was found the internal cast 

 of one of these shells in carbpnate of lime. 



The dark cave, then, appears to have originally had a large stream flow- 

 ing out of it at a time when the surrounding country was at a very much 

 higher level than it is at present, and this stream deposited a very large 

 mass of mud, now converted into rock. Gradually it ceased to flow, and 

 more lime was deposited on the surface till the floor consisted almost 

 entirely of carbonate of lime, the cave being, as at present, tenanted by 

 myriads of bats. The final history has been one of steady denudation, 

 the front of the rock being worn away and the mouth of the cave 

 retreating. There is nothing to show what amount of denudation there 

 has been on this clifi" face, but the height of the stream deposit shows that 

 it must have flowed out of the cave fully fifty feet above the level of the 

 surrounding country. 



On about the same level, and close to the Dark Cave, is one known 

 as the Cathedral Cave : it consists of an immense arch leading to a 

 large shaft, perfectly open, and full of small trees and shrubs. Though 

 remarkable from its picturesque and striking beauty, it seemed unlikely 

 to produce any interesting results in the matter of geology ; so I examined 

 it but cursorily. 



The Quarry Cave. 



The next cave examined was a smaller cave known as the Quarry 

 Cave. It opens on the eastern side of the rocks, at the foot of the cliff, 

 about a quarter of a mile from the Dark Cave. It is a low cave of no 

 great size, traversed near the mouth by a stream, dry at the time of my 

 last visit, but which I have reason to believe is the outlet of a stream 

 which crosses the Dark Cave at one point at the foot of the first shaft, 

 and descends in a small steep passage. 



The present mouth of the cave is a narrow opening about seven feet 

 high, but it is clear that at one time it was very much larger, the mouth 

 liaving been nearly closed by an immense mass of stalagmite, which will 

 probably in time close it altogether. The stream, which formerly ran out 

 through an opening, at present blocked by stalagmite, now finds its way 

 out beneath the main mass. 



The floor up to the original cave-opening is a mass of stalagmite mixed 

 with mud containing a few remains of bats and shells. An excavation 

 was made in the stream-bed to some depth. The soil consisted of yellow 

 mud, rather stiff and clayey, with fallen fragments from the roof. No 

 trace of any animal or vegetable remains could be seen, not even bones of 

 bats or shells, which were excessively abundant on the present surface of 

 the stalagmite. The stream is probably too rapid to allow of any animal 

 remains to be preserved, nor does the cave appear to have been ever 

 occupied by man. 



Bats in myriads tenant the cave, chiefly, if not exclusively, Cynojoterus 

 Liicnsi, and I took no less than five cave snakes here ; an unusual number 

 for so small a cave. 



