Dr. H. Hicks — The Ffynnon Beuno and Cae Gioyn Caves. 571 



Silurian rocks, and limestone. Silurian rocks are most abundant. 

 It is clear that we have here rocks from northern sources, along with 

 those from the Welsh hills, and the manner in which the limestone 

 at the entrance to the cavern in the shaft is smoothed from the north 

 would indicate that to be the main direction of the flow. The marine 

 sands and gravels which rest immediately on the bone-earth are pro- 

 bably of the age of the Moel Tryfaen and other high-level sands, and 

 the overlying clay with large boulders and intercalated sands may 

 be considered of the age of the so-called upper-boulder clay of the 

 area. The latter must evidently have been deposited by coast-ice. 

 Whether the caverns were occupied in pre- or only in inter-glacial 

 times it is difficult to decide, but it is certain that they were fre- 

 quented by Pleistocene animals and by Man before the character- 

 istic glacial deposits of this area were accumulated. The local gravel 

 found in the caverns, underlying the bone-earth, must have been 

 washed in by streams at an earlier period, probably before the exca- 

 vation of the rocky floor of the valley to its present depth. From 

 the glacial period up to the present time excavation has taken place 

 only in the glacial deposits, which must have filled the valley up 

 to a level considerably above the entrances to the caverns. The 

 characteristic red boulder clay with erratic blocks from northern 

 sources is found in this area to a height of about 500 feet, and sands 

 and gravels in the mountains to the S.E. to an elevation of about 

 1400 feet. The natural conclusion therefore is that the caverns 

 were occupied by an early Pleistocene fauna and by Man anterior to 

 the great submergence indicated by the high-level marine sands, and 

 therefore also before the deposition of the so-called great upper- 

 boulder clay of this area. As there is no evidence against such a 

 view, it may even be legitimately assumed that the ossiferous remains 

 and the flint implements are of an earlier date than any glacial 

 deposits found in this area. 



Ffynnon Beuno Cave. 



This cavern, which yielded the greatest number of bones in the 

 previous researches, has now been cleared out in all those parts 

 where the deposits appeared to have been undisturbed by Man. A 

 considerable addition to the number of bones and teeth has been 

 made this year, but no new forms have to be added to those already 

 mentioned. 



The animal remains found in the caves, as defined by Mr. W. 

 Davies, F.G.S., of the British Museum, comprise teeth and bones of 

 eleven genera and sixteen species, as shown by the annexed list : — 



Lion (Felis leo, var. spelcea). 



Wild Cat (F. catus ferus). 



Spotted Hysena (S. croeuta, var. 



spelcea). 

 "Wolf (Canis lupus). 

 Fox (C. vulpes). 

 Bear (Ursus. sp.). 

 Badger (Meles taxus). 

 "Wild Boar ( Sus scrofa). 



Bovine (Bos ? Bison ?). 



Great Irish Deer (Cervus giganteus). 



Bed Deer (Cervus elaphus). 



Boebnck (0. capreolus). 



Reindeer (G. tar audits). 



Horse (Eqims caballus). 



Woolly Rhinoceros (R. tichorhinm). 



Mammoth (Elephas primigenius) . 



