﻿Section C. — Address hy Mr. W. PengeUy, President. 425 



vi. pp. 61-69). I have visited it several times, but it seems to be frequently- 

 kept under lock and key, as a tool and powder house, by the workmen in 

 a neighbouring quarry. It is a simple gallery, and, according to Mr. 

 MacEnery, 63 feet long, from 3 to 9 feet high, and from 3 to 6 feet broad. 

 Beneath some angular stones he found a stalagmitic floor 14 inches thick, 

 and in the deposit below remains of Deer, Horse, Bear, Fox, Hyaena (0, 

 Coprolites, a few marine and land shells, one white flint tool with frag- 

 ments of others, a Roman coin, and potsherds. 



In a letter to Sir W. C. Trevelyan, dated 16th December, 1825, Dr. 

 Buckland states that Mr. MacEnery had found in this Cave "bones of all 

 sorts of beasts, and also flint knives and Roman coins ; in short, an 

 open-mouthed cave, which has been inhabited by animals of all kinds, 

 quadruped and biped, in all successive generations, and who have all left 

 their exuvise one upon another " (ibid. p. 69). 



Tealm-Bridge Cavern. — About the year 1832 the workmen broke into a 

 bone-cavern in Yealm-Bridge quarry, about one mile from the village of 

 Yealmpton, and eight miles E.S.E. from Plymouth ; and through their 

 operations it was so nearly destroyed that but a small arm of it remained 

 in 1835, when it was visited by Mr. J. C. Bellamy, who at once wrote an 

 account of it, from which it appears that, so far as he could learn, the 

 <.'avern was about 30 feet below the original limestone surface, and was 

 filled to within from 1 foot to 6 feet of the roof (see Nat. Hist. S. Devon, 

 1839, pp. 86-105). In the same year, but subsequently, it was examined 

 by Captain (afterwards Colonel) Mudge, who states that there were origin- 

 ally three openings into the Cave, each about 12 feet above the river 

 Yealm ; that the deposits were, in descending order : — 



1. Loam with bones and stones 3 "5 feet. 



2. Stiff" whitish clay 2-5 „ 



3. Sand 6-0 „ 



4. Red clay 3-5 „ 



5. Argillaceous sand 6 to 1 8*0 „ 



and that, where they did not reach the roof, the deposits were covered with 

 stalagmite. 



On the authority of Mr. Clift and Professor Owen, Captain Mudge 

 mentions relics of Elephant, Rhinoceros, Horse, Ox, Sheep, Hyaena, Dog, 

 Wolf, Fox, Bear, Hare, and Water-Vole. The bones, and especially the 

 teeth, of the Hyaena exceeded in number those of all the other animals, 

 though remains of Horse and Ox were very abundant. Mr. Bellamy, 

 whilst also mentioning all the foregoing forms, with the exception of Dog 

 only, adds, Deer, Pig, Glutton, Weasel, and Mouse. He also speaks of 

 the abundance of bones and teeth of Hysena, but seems to regard the Fox 

 as being almost as fully represented ; and next in order he places Horse, 

 Deer, Sheep, and Rabbit or Hare ; whilst the relics of Elephant, Wolf, 

 Bear, Pig, and Glutton are spoken of as very rare. The bones, he says, 

 were foutid in the uppermost bed only. They were frequently mere frag- 

 ments and splinters, some being undoubtedly gnawed, and all had become 

 very adherent through loss of their animal matter. Those of cylindrical 

 form were without their extremities ; there was no approach to anatomical 

 j axtaposition ; and the remains belonged to individuals of all ages. Reli- 

 quiae of Carnivorous animals greatly exceeded those of the Herbivora, and 

 teeth were very abundant. Coprolites occurred at some depth below the 

 stalagmite, in the upper bed, which also contained granitic and trappean 

 pebbles, and lumps of breccia made up of fragments of rock, bones, pebbles, 

 and stalagmite. The bones found prior to 1835 had been removed as 

 rubbish, and some good specimens were recovered from materials employed 

 in making a pathway. Nothing indicating the presence of man appears to 

 have been found. 



