HINTS AND CONJECTURES. 323 



But most of the masses, composed of remains of quadrupeds^ 

 appear to have kept afloat, till all the regular strata were deposited^ 

 and till breaks and fissures began to exist even in the newest strata. 

 Floating on the surface of these strata, quantities of bones; accompanied 

 with softer animal matter, which protected them from being water- 

 worn, were lodged in crevices and openings ; and these openings, 

 whether caused by breaks, or by the shrinking of the rock while it 

 was consolidating, being most numerous in limestone, it is in calca- 

 reous rocks chiefly that such remains occur. At that era, the bones 

 found at Kirkdale, were floated into the cavern. They present, as 

 might be expected in a collection detached from the floating masses, 

 a confused mixture of bones and fragments of bones, of animals of 

 various kinds, large and small, herbivorous and carnivorous, and even 

 of fowls as well as beasts ; accompanied with marly clay, resulting 

 chiefly from the decomposition of animal matter. As far as we can 

 judge, from descriptions of the animal remains in the German caverns, 

 in the clefts of the rock of Gibraltar, and in several places on the 

 shores of the Mediterranean, they appear to be similar collections, 

 deposited in the same way. If the bones in the German caverns 

 had not been floated, how could they be found in considerable quan- 

 tity, lodged on the sides and towards the roof, at a great height 

 from the floor? These remains being deposited before the alluvial 

 beds were formed, are not accompanied with sand and gravel ; but a 

 great proportion of the animal masses having continued floating till 

 the denudations commenced, and the alluvium began to be deposited, 

 they were lodged in it at various depths. The bones left near the 

 surface, among which might be a quantity of human remains, would 

 soon be decomposed; while the relics deposited at greater depths, 

 particularly those of the larger animals, would be preserved. It is 

 unnecessary to inquire, whether the elephaiit, rhinoceros, hya;na, &c., 

 were floated hither from tropical climates 5 for we have no right to 



