Dorothy Bate — A Bone Cave on the River Wye. 103 



extremely bard, tlius making any excavation a difficult task, and in 

 some places it is impossible to detacb bones from the rock intact. 



The cave contained the teeth and jaw-bones of six small mammals 

 that are now extinct in Great Britain. These are : Microtis ratticeps, 

 M. arvalis, M. nivalis, Lemmus lemmus, Dicrostonyx {=iMyodes) torquatus, 

 and Ochotona [^Layomijs) pttsillus. At the present day these species 

 are found chiefly in colder and more northern countries, the pika 

 being confined to the steppe regions of Eastern Europe and Siberia. 

 No remains of the reindeer or other large northern forms were 

 found, though from the presence of the lemmings and some of the 

 voles this might have been expected. Eemains of the reindeer and 

 mammoth have been taken from a somewhat similar cave situated 

 not two miles distant. See British Museum (Natural History) Coll. 

 Eemains of the following animals were found in this cave : — 

 noma. — I have already mentioned that some jaw-bones were found 

 on the floor of the cave, but I have been unable to secure one or to 

 trace their present whereabouts. I procured one clavicle, several 

 vertebrte, and a number of digital phalanges. The only implements 

 found were a bone needle, or hairpin, and a portion of a copper ring. 



Boae needle, one-third less than original specimen. 



The needle, which Sir Henry Ho worth considers belongs to the 

 Bronze Age, is a very fine specimen in a perfect state of preservation. 

 It is five inches in length and has a circular hole pierced through 

 its broader end, from which it gradually tapers to a blunt point. 

 The larger end has the appearance of having been cut straight across 

 with some sharp instrument. 



Bhinolopkus hipposideros. — Two lower jaw-bones and a portion 

 of one skull of this bat were among the remains found in the cave. 



Talpa Europcea.— One upper jaw of this species and two mandibular 

 rami were found in the cave together with several pelvic bones. 

 There is a considerable difterence in the size of these two rami, one 

 of which, the larger, still retained a milk tooth. Fossil remains of 

 this mole have been found in the Norfolk Forest Bed as well as in 

 Pleistocene deposits. Mr. W. J. Lewis Abbot found numerous 

 bones belonging to this species in the Ightham fissure in Kent. 



Sorex araneus.—The upper jaws of the common shrew were 

 fairly plentiful, one or two skulls being found in an almost perfect 

 state of preservation. They varied much in size, a considerable 

 difference being noticeable between the largest and the smallest 

 specimens obtained. The lower jaw-bones were less numerous ; 

 perhaps on account of their small size they were easily passed over 

 when buried in the earth. Less than half a dozen were secured, all 

 of them retaining ther full number of teeth. Kemains of this shrew 

 have been found in the Forest Bed and in caves. 



