546 OSSIFEROUS CAVES OF SICILY. 



which are now displayed in the Museum of the College of 

 Surgeons. The author was under great obligations to the 

 kind services, scientific aid, and hospitable cares of Baron 

 Francesco Anca (di Mangalaviti) and Professor Angelo Por- 

 cari, of the University of Palermo, who accompanied him in 

 all his visits to Carini, and co-operated with him in the exca- 

 vations carried on in and near the Maccagnone Cave. Their 

 assistance applied to every walk of the exploration. The 

 cave is situated on the north-eastern side of Monte Lungo, 

 near its base, and about a mile and a half from the sea. Like 

 San Ciro, the Maccagnone Cave is about 50 feet above the 

 termination of the Pliocene marine terrace where it abuts 

 against the Hippurite limestone, and at a corresponding ele- 

 vation above the sea ; both caves partaking in many respects 

 of common physical characters. But in its form, and some 

 of its deposits, the Maccagnone Cavern differs materially 

 from San Ciro. It is much broader and more sinuous at the 

 sides than San Ciro, with several large cul-de-sac expansions, 

 but not so long; and the roof is much lower, being but 11 

 feet high at the principal entrance, and about 10 feet in the 

 middle. There are two entrances, the principal of which is 

 25£ feet wide, and open down to the floor ; the other, on the 

 same side of the hill, is a much smaller, irregular aperture, 

 in connection with an irregular expansion of the cavern at its 

 south-eastern corner, into which it descends. The author 

 gave the principal dimensions, which were accompanied by a 

 section and ground-plan (figs. 6 and 7). The uppermost 

 layer of the floor consists throughout of loose, argillaceous, 

 finely pulverized soil, containing large embedded blocks of 

 limestone ; beneath this, in the section below the mouth, 

 was a thick deposit of the ochreous loamy earth (called 

 * Cave-earth ') , containing blocks of limestone ; then, in thick 

 patches, a reddish-grey and mottled spongy loam, cemented 

 by calcareous infiltration, and very cellular, called from its 

 appearance, by the peasants who were employed in the ex- 

 cavation, ' Ceneri impastate,' or 'concrete of ashes;' and 

 below all, stretching on either side of the mouth, as at San 

 Ciro, a great aggregation of bone-breccia, full of bones of 

 Hippopotamus, among which the author in four days collected 

 a very large number of astragali. The whole of the bone- 

 breccia was strewed over with huge blocks of limestone which 

 had fallen since its deposition. Nothing is known of the 

 nature of the inferior deposits down to the floor. The 

 author thinks it probable that there may be a great accumu- 

 lation of bone-breccia below, with polished and bored walls, 

 as in San Ciro ; but the excavations requisite to establish 

 this were too laborious and extensive for the limited time at 



