Search for Pkistocene Mammalia in Crete. 199 



Eastern Crete. 



In the beginning of May, shortly after returning to Khania from 

 a second trip in the west, a start was made for the east, where 

 I remained until shortly before leaving the island in the latter end 

 of July. Candia was reached, after a somewhat wandering course, 

 including Lake Kurnas, Myrthio (from whence one of the small 

 beds of fossil wood mentioned by Eaulin ^ was visited), Kria Vrisis, 

 Phaestos, and Haghia Deka, near which is the enormous underground 

 quarry known as the Labyrinth. 



Along the coastline east of Candia no cave deposit was found 

 until Melato, in the eparkhia of Mirabello, was reached. Here one 

 was discovered on the bare hillside to the north-west of the village, 

 and between it and the sea. No part of the former cave was to 

 be seen except a few fragmentary portions of the stalagmitic 

 flooring showing above the ground, and containing remains of a pigmy 

 hippopotamus. 



To the east of this my wanderings were continued through the 

 fertile plain of Mirabello, and on by a road never very far from 

 the coast to Sitaea. Thence to the monastery of Toplou, Eremopoli, 

 with its ancient ruins, and Palaikastro, the site of important archaeo- 

 logical excavations made under the auspices of the British School 

 of Athens. A return was made across the limestone plateau in 

 which Khandra is situated, by Daphnaes and Rhukaka, down the 

 gorge to Kavusi, where the former route was joined. 



The only cave deposits found in this part of the island were 

 situated in the rugged limestone cliffs bordering the southern end 

 of the Bay of Kharoumes, not many miles south of Palaikastro. At 

 the foot of these cliffs and only from a few feet to a few yards 

 above the sea were discovered one small bone cave and, on either 

 side, portions of the stalagmitic flooring of two others ; all being 

 situated close together and extending for a distance of about 

 a hundred and fifty yards. The most northerly of these deposits, 

 which is at a greater height than, and at a little distance from, the 

 cave, contained only bones and teeth of the small hippopotamus 

 which also occurs at Melato. The remains in the cave and in the 

 other deposit ^ proved to be those of ruminants similar to those 

 found in the caves of the west of the island.^ 



Some little distance further along the coast in a south-easterly 

 direction is another cave, in which the floor is entirely broken up 

 and heaped with huge boulders ; at its inner end, however, a few 

 bones and a piece of a deer's horn were observed. These were 

 embedded in the roof, which at this spot is partly composed of red 

 earth. The position of these remains seems to be a strong argument 

 in favour of the idea that, at all events in this instance, they must 



1 Op. cit., Tol. i, p. 181, and Spratt, op. cit., vol. ii, pp. 270-1. 



2 A few land-shells were obtained here, and have been identified by the Eev. R. 

 Ashington Bullen as Selix pellita, Fer. 



3 A few fragmentary remains of a large proboscidian were found in the rocks 

 close to this cave. They have not yet been examined, but wiU probably prove to 

 be of earlier age than Pleistocene. 



