294 REPORTS ON THE STATE OP SCIENCE. — ^1916. 



a serious accident. The funds were furnished partly by the British 

 Association and partly by the Government Grant Committee of the 

 Eoyal Society. 



ArchcBological Investigations in Malta. — Report of the Com- 

 mittee, consisting 0/ Prof essor J. L. Myees (Chairman), Dr. 

 T. AsHBY (Secretary), Mr. H. Balfour, Dr. A. C. Haddon, 

 a7id Dr. E. E. Marett. 



The Excavatio77s conducted at Gliar Dalarn (Malta) in July 1916. 

 By Mr. G. Despott. 



A GBANT of 101. having been accorded by the British Association for 

 conducting further excavations in Malta, Ghar Dalam was again 

 chosen as the most important and promising site. As this is not, how- 

 ever, yet Government property, permission had to be asked from its 

 proprietor, Mr. G. Bezzina, P.L., who very kindly gave us full liberty 

 to carry on the work. 



Since the excavations conducted by Dr. Ashby in May 1914, at 

 which I had the good fortune to be present,^ a good amount of digging 

 has been done by irresponsible persons, and this can be seen from the 

 considerable enlargement of one of the trenches which were dug during 

 that time. We have been assured, moreover, that many bones from 

 the cave have been recently sold to several persons of the locality and to 

 many others who are only affected by the craze of collecting. 



For the present excavations Mr. C. Eizzo, P. A. A., who is un- 

 doubtedly one of the best authorities on the geology of these islands, 

 suggested that some digging should be done around a large stalagmite 

 115 feet from the entrance and about 10 feet from the left side of the 

 cave, in the hope that it might have served to obstruct the way to 

 carcasses which the flood may have once washed inside, and to see also 

 if stalagmite has been found on any of the animal remains. 



Taking up this suggestion, a trench from 5 to 6 feet wide was dug 

 along the whole width of the cave, which at this point is 30 feet wide. 



The roof over the part where the present trench was dug contains 

 two groups of stalactites, one on each side, those in the middle having 

 been detached, as can be seen from the parts of them still adhering to 

 the roof, upon which stalactitic formations are again appearing. 

 Mr. Eizzo observed that the stalactites are all formed below fissures 

 of the rock. 



The larger of these groups is the one towards the left side, and 

 several of the stalactites composing it are as much as 3 feet in length 

 and nearly 2 feet in diameter; to one of these corresponds the large 

 stalagmite, which is 5^ feet high and 2| feet in diameter. The top 

 of this stalagmite projected for over one foot over the surface of the 

 cave earth, and this projecting part is probably one of the large semi- 

 circular bosses alluded to by Cooke, and which he describes as ' bases 

 of stalagmites.' 



The superficial layer consisted of rounded boulders, many of which 



» Man, Jan. and Feb. 1916, Nos. 1, 14. 



