ON KENT'S CAVERN, TORQUAY. 435 



where the cave earth had thinned out to zero, but all the deposits lay in their natural 

 position. It seems, therefore, that although in the Gallery the upper and lower 

 stalagmitic floors lay in inverted positions, the sandy grit is in situ at the base, and 

 may represent deposits as old as, or more probably even older than, the Breccia, and 

 once divided from the latter by a formerly existing stalagmitic floor. 



It was, therefore, in the hope of finding human artefacts, at least as old as the 

 Chellean tools found in the Breccia, that our attention was turned to the Gallery. 

 As a result we have to report the following sequence of deposits : — 



3. Tough Red or Yellow Clay .... about 15 inches 

 2. Finely Laminated Buff Clay . . . about 10 inches 



1. Sandy Loam ...... about 2 feet 



The geological character of all three deposits, which are not always very distinct, 

 is the same, and represents a wash of the grits and their incorporated slates, from the 

 Lincombe Hill which rises above the limestone plateau, and which represents the upper 

 division of the Lower Devonian rocks in the Torquay area. The deposits are ' flooded ' 

 with minute particles of these slates, and well-rounded pebbles of the grit occur, 

 occasionally in the two upper levels, and frequently in the sandy loam. On the 

 other hand, fragments of limestone from the walls or roof are practically absent. 

 The phenomena therefore seem to point to a period when only quiet waters entered 

 the cave, and indeed the finely laminated and tough clays may well have been laid 

 down under standing water. So far as is known these are the only stratified deposits 

 in Kent's Cavern. 



Nothing of human manufacture has as yet come to light. Nevertheless, in 

 view of the possibility that we have here the oldest known deposit in the Cavern, 

 we think that this small chamber should be cleared to rock bottom, since it is possible 

 that a more proUfic stratum may lie below the almost barren clays and sand. 



In the autumn of 1927 Prof. W. J. Sollas, F.R.S., very kindly sent a small series 

 of twenty-two flints found in the Vestibule to Paris for classification by Prof, the Abbe 

 Breuil. Of these three were returned as ' atypical ' and four more as undetermined 

 Upper Palaeolithic. Of the remaining fifteen there were : — 



Five possibly Upper Aurignacian (two simple blades, a blade with lateral 



hollow scraper, and two end scrapers). 

 One either Middle or Upper Aurignacian (end scraper). 

 Five probably Upper Aurignacian (four blades and a lateral end scraper). 

 Two certainly Upper Aurignacian (two lateral gravers). 

 One either late Middle or Upper Aurignacian (blade). 

 One probably late Middle Aurignacian (blade). 



Excluding the two lateral gravers, the series does not appear to be very typical. 

 But if the general fades may be taken to be Upper Aurignacian, we are faced by the 

 position that this period is represented in the cave earth at 5 feet to 8 feet below the 

 upper stalagmite, while a small series of Middle Aurignacian implements has been 

 identified by Miss Garrod from the 3-foot to 4-foot level, and in the same chamber. 

 It seems clear, then, that some redeposition of the cave earth has taken place. 



B. Suggestions for Further Work. 



The original objective in view, in driving a trench along the N. wall of the 

 Vestibule, was to seek for lower and older occupation floors beneath the position of 

 the Black Band. Rock bottom has now been reached, with a negative result. It is 

 now necessary to decide on the next position to attack, and this is no easy matter 

 in so large a cave. Miss Garrod has pointed out that the Aurignacian, Solutrian, 

 and Mousterian of Kent's Hole localise respectively in the Vestibule, the South Sally 

 Port, and the Great Chamber. The last is, unfortunately, a much-used tourists' 

 track, and over part of its area Pengelly had already exposed rock bottom. He found 

 Mousterian implements in each level of the cave earth here, but at the same vertical 

 level as flints of Upper Palaeolithic Age. The suggestion that a Mousterian floor lies 

 at the base of the cave earth in this Chamber does not, therefore, appear to be 

 promising. It seems more likely that the same phenomenon of redeposition of the 

 cave earth, presumably in Magdalenian times, seen in the Vestibule, has been 

 repeated here. 



F F 2 



