262 GIBRALTAR CAVES. 



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 addi- 

 tional stalagmite. " 



Similar proofs of great and recent geographical changes 

 have been afforded by the examination of certain Spanish 

 caves. In the Genista Cave at Gibraltar Mr. Busk and 

 Dr. Falconer have discovered Hycena Irunnea, an existing 

 African species, the leopard, lynx, serval, and Barbary 

 stag. M. Lartet has alsa determined molars of the existing 

 African elephant among some bones found in a cave near 

 Madrid. 



M. Lartet* has described with his usual ability a very 

 interesting grotto, or small cave, which was discovered some 

 years ago at Aurignac, in the south of France. A peasant 

 named Bonnemaison, seeing a rabbit run into a hole on a 

 steep slope, put hi& hand in, and to his surprise pulled out a 

 human bone. Curiosity urged him to explore farther, and 

 on removing a quantity of rubbish, he found a large block 

 of stone, which almost closed up the entrance to a small 

 chamber, in which were no less than seventeen human 

 skeletons. Unfortunately for science, the mayor of Au- 

 rignac, hearing of these discoveries, collected the human 

 bones, had them reburied, and when M. Lartet some years 

 afterwards explored the cavern, they could not be found 

 again. 



After carefully examining the locality, M. Lartet came to 

 the conclusion that this small cavern had been used as a 

 burial place, and from the remains of bones broken for 

 marrow, and marks of fire immediately outside the cave, he 

 inferred that feasts had been held there. 



* Ann. des Sc. Nat. 1861, p. 177. 



