548 OSSIFEROUS CAVES OF SICILY. 



his disposal. The interior of the cavern is coated over 

 throughout by a crust of rough, reddish or ochreous stalag- 

 mite. The surface-layer of the floor had been previously dug 

 for fossil bones as far back as 1830, and but few remains 

 were found in it. One — an important specimen — was a milk 

 molar of Elephas antiques. At the side below the southern 

 wall of the cavern, and about halfway in, a thick layer was 

 observed of the ' Ceneri impastate ' immediately below the 

 superficial earth, and corresponding exactly with the ' Ceneri 

 impastate ' seen in the section outside below the principal 

 aperture. The attempts at making a section of the floor 

 were frustrated by the great blocks of limestone, which im- 

 peded the operations throughout. In the superficial layer, 

 Elephas antiquus and horns of two extinct species of Cervus 

 were found, besides other bones of Ruminants, but all in 

 small quantity : in the ochreous cave-earth below the mouth, 

 abundant coprolites of Hycena, with fragments of detached 

 bones of Hippopotamus, and some astragali : in the ' Ceneri 

 impastate ' below the main aperture, metacarpal and meta- 

 tarsal bones of a species of Felis as large as F. spelcea, but not 

 yet specifically identified ; some remains of a large Ursus, 1 and 

 numerous remains of small Ruminants, all broken or splin- 

 tered, but none of them bearing marks of gnawing. In the 

 ' bone-breccia ' below and outside the cavern, the bones of 

 Hippopotami verydargely predominated. The author dug up 

 an enormous quantity of these remains within an area of 12 

 or 14 feet square. In an angular recess in the rock outside 

 the cave, and near the small opening, a very large quantity of 

 coprolites of Hysenas were observed, superficially embedded 

 in the ' ochreous earth.' The quantity collected together 

 would indicate that this spot had been used as a common 

 cloaca of Hysenas. 



The author next described some remarkable conditions in 

 the roof of the cave. About halfway in from the mouth 

 (fig. 6,/) and at 10 feet above the floor, a large mass of 

 breccia was observed, denuded partly of the stalagmitic 

 covering, and composed of a reddish-grey argillaceous matrix 

 cemented, by a calcareous paste, containing fragments of 

 limestone, finely preserved entire land-shells of large size, 

 splinters of bone, teeth of Ruminants and of the genus Equus, 

 together with comminuted fragments of shells, bits of carbon, 

 specks of argillaceous matter resembling burnt clay, also 

 fragments of shaped siliceous objects, of different tints, vary- 



1 The specimens of Ursus from Mac- J were believed by Dr. Falconer to be 

 cagnone were found to agree with those | of the same species. (Note-book.) — 

 from Grays Thurrock in the British [Ed.] 

 Museum, purchased from Mr. Ball, and 



