58 Transactions. — Miscellaneoiis. 



till they reached what they consiclered the lowest part of the deposits duo to 

 human agency. On 29tli September, when arriving early in the morning, 

 the greater portion of that work had been accomj)lished, the workmen having 

 reached a bed of agglomerate, which, they considered the bottom of the cave, 

 for our purpose, or at least reaching to the earliest beginning of human 

 occupancy. 



Digging, by my direction, through this agglomerate for a considerable 

 distance down into the sands below it ■without any proof of human presence 

 being obtained, I also reluctantly, at least for the present, gave np any 

 further work below it. 



Sections Nos. 1 and 2 (PI. I.) give the details of the excavations then 



performed. At the centre of the cave, where the two trenches crossed, I noted 



the following sequence : — 



Ft. In. 



1 . Shell beds, consisting of the remains of the following species, now 



still inhabiting the estuary : — Chione stiitdiburyi (cockle) 

 huai or pipi ; Mesodesma chemnitzii, pipi ; Amphibola avellana 

 (periwinkle) hetikutiku ; Mytilus smaragdinus (mussel), knku 110 



2. Ash bed with some pieces of flax, cabbage tree leaves, charred wood, 



etc. .,. ... ... ... ... ... 8 



3. Bed consisting of shells, often very much decomposed, the same 



species as No. 1 ... ... ... ... ...12 



4. Ash and dirt bed, with a few pieces of Moa bones ... ... 9 



5. Agglomeratic beds, consisting of j^ieces of rocks fallen from the roof G 



This latter deposit rested upon 4 11 



G. Marine sands, in which I had dug down 3 feet without results. 



Between 3 and 4 a sharp line of demarcation was clearly visible, which, 

 as the continuation of the excavations showed, was of great importance. 



European beds do not appear as occurring on the surface at this point, as 

 they had been previously cleared away by the workmen. 



Near the entrance of the cave the follow ing beds were passed in the 



longitudinal trench (see PI. I., sec. 1). 



Ft. In. 



1. Beds of European occupation, cow-dung, tins, pieces of 



bottles, etc. ... 



2. Shell beds 



3. Ash beds 



4. Shell beds 



f). Ash beds, chips of wood, tussocks 



G. Shell beds, often very much doconiposod, with small chips 

 of timber, and thin beds of ashes between them, about 



(Lowest portion of No. G not reached.) 8 3 



, 











3 



, 



5 



, 1 



4 







G 



■> 



t 3 







