SCIEXCE-GOSSIP. 



217 



WOOKEY HOLE CAVE. 

 By C. P. A. de L. Pereira. 



'"PHIS cave is situated near a village in the 

 neighbourhood of Wells. Somerset, and 

 consists mainly of three large, lofty chambers 

 : r.r.e::e:. oy sr.or: passage; The roof, sides an i 

 part of the floor of these chambers are covered 

 with a very beautiful stalactitic incrustation, 

 which assumes most fantastic shapes. The 

 cave is mentioned by Clemens of Alexandria in 

 the second century, and again by William of 

 Worcester in the fifteenth century. It was 

 supposed to be the habitation of a witch who was 

 afterwards turned into stone bv the "lerned wightz 



water, settling in the depressions, ultimately finds 

 its way through interstices in the limestone, and, 

 following the dip of the rock, in course of time 

 wears it away, thus forming the cavern. This 

 work is aided by acids present in the water and 

 by the friction of pebbles. In the locality the 

 funnel-shaped depressions on the Mendips are 

 called " swallets." 



The height of the two principal chambers of the 

 cave varies from forty to sixty feet. The third 

 chamber, in which the river disappears under a 

 naturally-formed archway, measures no more than 



The "Witch" in Wookkv Hole Cave. 



of Glaston " This "witch" is shown in the 

 illustration given above. Near the River 

 which Bowl through the cavern, human remains 

 were discovered by Dr Buckland and by others. 



Connected with the main chambers of the cave 

 are many winding passages These branch off 

 in every direction, and any person wandering 

 unthinkingly into their inmost recesses must 

 consider himself fortunate if he easily discovers 

 his way back. In many parts of the ca 

 comes across huge boulders — some weighing 

 several tons — piled one upon another, and appear- 

 ■ if a mere touch woo fall 



ll is believed that lh< 

 doe 10 the flatne Mendips, which allows 



little opportunity for the rains U The 



1 I 



twenty feet in height. The photographing of the 

 cave was attended with great difficulty, many 

 weeks being employed in obtaining a successful 

 result. It is fair, however, to state that the photo- 

 graphs were made by amateur photographers from 

 among my own friends. The illuminant used was 

 ium ribbon. The effect is best shown in 

 our third illustration, which appears on the next 



1 this cave is another, called the Hyaenas' 

 I'en, from its having been once inhabited by 

 these animals. It was discovered in 1859, and was 

 excavati I known geologist, Professor 



Boyd Dawkins, The bones of many now 

 ere found among them those 

 of the cave-lion, cave-bear, woolly rhinoceros, 



