266 REPORTS ON THE STATE OF SCIENCE, ETC. 



experience has corroborated this. Very few coprolites (and these only in the upper 

 portion of the Cave Earth) have presented themselves ; also, the small foot-bones 

 of the Cave Fauna are equally scarce, but among these one diseased phalanx of bear, 

 identified as such by Mr. Ogilvie and confirmed by Sir Arthur Keith, came to hand. 

 This difEers remarkably from general experience in the Vestibule where coprolites and 

 foot-bones were fairly common. 



In the Wolf's Cave, at these lower levels, horses' teeth exceeded greatly in number 

 those of the hyena. In PengeUy's records of the number of teeth of the various 

 cave mammals those of the hyena almost invariably stood highest, and in relatively 

 diminishing numbers, those of horse, rliinoceros, deer, bear, and mammoth. The 

 large bones were usually found ia a very rotten condition. 



The three lower entrances to Kent's Cavern discovered by Pengelly were vertically 

 about 18 feet below the south entrance. But excavation is being carried out 20 feet 

 below the south entrance and at 100 feet distant from it, so that water entering the 

 Cavern, which at one or more times flooded it so severely as to break up the 

 Crystalline Stalagmite and parts of the rock-hke Breccia, must have found outlets, 

 by very circuitous channels, that are much below the lowest entrances yet discovered. 

 The Cave Earth has shown no signs of stratification anywhere. Up to now digging 

 has been done from the centre of the Wolf's Cave towards its terminus and downwards, 

 but it is proposed in the future to work from the centre towards the Sloping Chamber. 

 It is desired to find the Crystalline Floor, if it exists, and the underlying Red Grit 

 basement deposit known as the ' Breccia.' 



Thanks are tendered to many persons for their assistance in sorting and digging, 

 among whom are the Rev. H. B. Hunt, Rear- Admiral and Mrs. O'Dogherty, Professor 

 Hemmy, Messrs. G. C. Spence, and Mrs. Currey, Miss James, and the Misses Dick, 

 and special thanks are due to the proprietor of the Cavern (Mr. Powe) for his generous 

 aid on all occasions. 



[Sig7ied by the Excavators : — 



F. Beynon ; Abthub H. Ogilvie.] 



Note on Operations outside the Entrance to Kent's Cavern, 1928-9. 



During the winter of 1928-9 the proprietor of the Cavern had occasion to clear 

 away a portion of the talus outside the main entrance, for the purpose of erecting a 

 kiosk. The soil excavated was used for garden purposes, and to procure this the 

 material was put through a sieve. As careful a watch as was possible was given to 

 the progress of this excavation, and the proprietor himself watched the work, which 

 was done, in the main, by himself. 



The area concerned covered about 10 feet by 10 feet and ultimately a section 

 5 feet high was revealed, but nothing came to hand except one or two unidentifiable 

 fragments of rather greyish bone, too light in weight to be regarded as of very great 

 antiquity. The make-up of the deposit was a mixture of limestone fragments, large 

 and small, Avith much dark earth or humus, and the whole appears to be a com- 

 paratively recent accumulation brought into position by the ordinary processes of 

 denudation of the escarpment and its plateau. 



The excavation did not proceed below the level of the sill of the Cavern entrance. 



[Signed : — H. G. Dowie.] 



The Committee desires to be reappointed without grant. 



