BRITISH ASSOCIATION, &C. 221 



in the " lower cellarage," in the remote portion of the cavern, a flint flake 

 which there could be no doubt had been produced by human agency. The 

 flake had been laid before Mr. Evans, F.E.S., v/ho had examined and reported 

 upon it. He said it was undoubtedly of human workmanship, and carried 

 on it evidence of its having been used as a tool, the edge being slightly worn 

 away and jagged. Associated with the flake were remains of the cave-lion, 

 the cave-bear, mammoth, &c. Mr. Pengelly caused some amusement by ex- 

 hibiting a collection of modern articles found in the lake, which had been 

 emptied: among them a ginger-beer bottle, a mutton bone, an oyster shell, 

 a hammer, a chain, candle, and candle sconce ; an elephant's tooth was also 

 found. The depth of the lake was said to be about 5 feet. The stalagmitic 

 floor was said to be in some places as much as 12 feet thick. The hill was 

 tunnelled by burrows of foxes and other animals ; and a small bell had been 

 found such as was used to tie on a terrier when sent into a burrow. 



Professor Boyd Dawkins made some remarks on the mammalian remains 

 found in the cavern. The various strata, he said, contained remains of 

 animals of different epochs from the post-glacial upward. During the time 

 the " Black Band " was being formed it would appear, from the remains found, 

 that the cavern was inhabited by a race of men who lived, not only on other 

 animals, but on their own race. The older deposits contained indisputable 

 traces of the glutton, a species of hare known to the French paleontologists 

 and larger than the existing type, the beaver, &c. Mr. Dawkins concluded 

 by remarking on the antiquity of the human race indicated by the facts 

 mentioned in the report. 



Me. Pengelly next read a paper " On the alleged occurence of Hippo- 

 potamus viajor and Machairodus latidens in Kent's Cavern." It was of an 

 almost purely technical character. Mr. Pengelly thought there was no re- 

 liable evidence as to the occurrence of the Hippopotamua, but the Machairodus 

 was undoubtedly associated with other remains. 



The Devonian Group considered Geologically and Geographically. 



Me. Godwin- Austen read a paper on this subject. It dealt with the 

 probable distribution of land and water during the Devonian period, its 

 fossil zoology and botany, and the physical changes which have taken j)lace 

 subsequently. The Devonian rocks had a wide geographical extent in 

 Europe, Asia, and America. In the latter country there was a broad band of 

 Old Silurian rocks which existed as dry land during the Devonian epoch. In 

 Great Britain the Devonian rocks had a general direction from north-east to 

 south-west. From the nature of the fossil fishes of these rocks, Mr. Austen 

 came to the conclusion that the Old Eed Sandstone was of freshwater origin, 

 as of all the existing fishes, only six genera were related to the Ganoid 

 family, and all dt these were of essentially fresh- water habits. The dry 

 land was covered with a series of great fresh-water lakes, like those of North 

 America. Besides the strata deposited along the bottoms of these lakes, 

 there was a series of vast marine deposits, which are termed Devonian. The 



