OSSIFEROUS CAVES OF SICILY. 



551 



geologists to the inferences : — 1. That the Maccagnone Cave 

 was Med. np to the roof within the human period, so that a 

 thick layer of bone-splinters, teeth, land-shells, Hysenas' 

 coprolites, and human objects was agglutinated to the roof 

 by the infiltration of water holding lime in solution. 2. That 

 subsequently, and within the human period, such a great 

 amount of change took place in the physical configuration of 

 the district as to have caused the cave to be washed out and 

 emptied of its contents, excepting the patches of material 

 cemented to the roof and since coated with additional 

 stalagmite. 



Note.— The author has lately received a letter from Baron 

 Anca di Mangalaviti, dated Palermo, the 12th of March, 

 intimating that he had followed up the Cave-researches 

 which form the subject of this communication, with import- 

 ant results. He had discovered two caves, hitherto unknown 

 to naturalists — the one in Monte Gallo, which forms the 

 western boundary of the Bay of Palermo ; the other in the 

 north of Sicily, at the foot of Monte San Fratello, near the 

 village of Acque Dolci. In both caverns, but more especially 

 in the latter, Baron Anca found an immense accumulation 

 of fossil bones, among which there was 'une prodigieuse 

 quantite d'os des Carnivores.' This is the more remarkable, 

 as in the Caves of San Ciro and Maccagnone Carnivora were 

 but very sparingly encountered. — H. F., April 5, 1860. 



APPENDIX TO MEMOIR ON THE GEOTTA DI 

 MACCAGNONE. 



I. Notice of the Discovert of Two Bone-Caves in Northern Sicily. 



By Francois Anca, Baron de Mangalaviti. 1 



Since you left Sicily, I have continued my palaaontological researches, 

 and I am happy in having discovered two bone-caves previously un- 

 known. One of these is at Monte Gallo, at the western extremity of 

 the Bay of Palermo, and is situated at an elevation of 160 feet above 

 the sea-level ; the other is situated near the village of Acque Dolci, at 

 the foot of Monte San Fratello, in the north of Sicily, and is 214 feet 

 above the sea-level. 



These caves, especially the last, are very rich ; and, what will 

 astonish you, they contain a prodigious quantity of bones of Carnivora, 

 including perfect jaws armed with molars and canines. I have collected 

 also two molars and a tusk of Elephas, teeth and bones of Hippopotamus 

 (of the two species, I believe, determined by yourself). Altogether, 

 remains of the following were met with : — 



' From a letter to Dr. Falconer, dated lislied in the ' Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc' 

 'Palermo, March 12, I860,' and pub- for May, I860.— [Ed.] 



