Dr. Henry HicIiS — Bone- Caves of North Wales. 511 



The deposits in this cavern consisted first of a reddish clayey earth, 

 varying in depth from two to four feet. Below this was found a 

 more compact deposit, about 18 inches in thickness, made up of thin 

 layers of fine marly clay, and under this the material containing 

 the bones. This material consisted of a reddish clay with sand in 

 places, and contained many boulders similar to those found in the 

 the Boulder-clays of the district. Large fi^agments of a stalagmite 

 floor and of stalactites occurred also in it, showing that the water action 

 which disturbed the original materials in the cave must have been 

 of a violent nature. Under this was found a gravelly deposit, 

 containing fragments mainly from the hills above and no bones. 

 In this cavern the deposits, except the lowest, have now been 

 cleared out to a distance from the entrance of over 150 feet. It 

 is for the most part a true tunnel cavern, with well-smoothed 

 roof and sides. The largest chamber has just been reached at a little 

 over 150 feet from the entrance. It is over 11 feet in length and 

 9 feet in height. The other chambers are small, being mainly 

 dilatations of the tunnel, which varies from 3 to 9 feet in width. 

 Extending from a small chamber about 45 feet from the entrance 

 there is another branch tunnel which has been explored to a distance 

 of about 16 feet. 



The bones discovered in this cavern, according to Mr. W. Davies, 

 F.G.S., of the British Museum, to whom all the bones found in 

 both caverns have been submitted, belong to the Lion, Hysena, Bear, 

 Badger, Wolf, Fox, Great Irish Deer, Reindeer, Red Deer, Roebuck, 

 Rhinoceros and Horse. A flint scraper was also found last year in 

 association with the remains at a distance of 45 feet from the entrance. 



The Fynnon Beuno Cavern is partly a fissure and partly a tunnel- 

 cavern. From the entrance inwards for a distance of about 40 feet 

 it is a true tunnel-cavern, and there is a branch-tunnel extending 

 from this for a further distance of over 50 feet, ultimately opening 

 out on the hill-side above the main entrance. Another tunnel com- 

 municates with an extensive fissure cavern which had evidently 

 been disturbed at some time by mining operations (though I could 

 obtain no information as to when). 



In the undisturbed parts of this cavern the deposits were of 

 similar character to those in the Cae Gwyn Cave. This cavern, 

 however, being for some extent an open cavern, had probably 

 been inhabited in Neolithic, or perhaps later times, as a quantity 

 of charcoal was found at two points at distances of from 20 to 24 

 feet from the entrance. Several well-worked flint flakes were 

 found at different points in this cavern, in association with bones 

 of the Mammoth, Rhinoceros, etc. Dr. Evans recognized them as of 

 the type of the wrought flakes found in Kent's Cavern, they are 

 white and porcellanous, and show indications of having been used, 

 but not rolled by water action. Worked bones and others broken by 

 man were also found. The bones were exceedingly plentiful in the 

 cavern, and showed indications of having been gnawed freely, evi- 

 dently when in a fresh condition, hence proving clearly that they 

 had been conveyed into the cavern soon after the animals had died. 



