Ch.XL] BRECCIAS IN AUSTRALIAN CAVES. 143 



speculations, but merely throw them out as hints for those who 

 may re-examine these caves and be desirous of collecting ad- 

 ditional facts. 



Two other caverns are described by Dr. Christie as occur- 

 ring in Mount Beliemi, about four miles west of Palermo, at a 

 higher elevation than that of Mardolce, being more than 300 

 feet above the level of the sea. In one of these localities the 

 bones are only found in a talus at the outside of the cavern ; in 

 the other, they occur both within the cave and in the talus 

 which slopes from it to the plain below. These caves appear to be 

 situated much above the highest point attained by the tertiary de- 

 posits in this neighbourhood, nor is there the slightest appear- 

 ance in the caves themselves of the sea having been there *. 



The breccias in these caves may have originated in the man- 

 ner before suggested, vol. ii. chap. xiii. 



Australian Breccias. In several parts of Australia, ossifferous 

 breccias have lately been discovered in limestone caverns, and 

 the remains of the fossil mammalia are found to be referrible to 

 species now living in that country, mingled with some relics of 

 extinct animals. Many of these have been examined by Major 

 Mitchell in the Wellington Valley, about 210 miles west from 

 Sidney, on the river Bell, one of the principal sources of the 

 Macquarrie, and on the Macquarrie itself. 



The caverns appear to correspond closely with those which 

 contain similar osseous breccias in Europe ; they often branch 

 oft* in different directions through the rock, widening and con- 

 tracting their dimensions, the roofs and floors being covered 

 with stalactite. The bones are often broken, but do not ap- 

 pear water- worn. In some caves and fissures they lie imbedded 

 in loose earth, but usually they are included in a breccia, hav- 

 ing a red ochreous cement as hard as limestone, and like that 

 of the Mediterranean caves. 



The remains found most abundantly are those of the kan- 

 garoo. Amongst others, those of the Wombat, Dasyurus, 



* Dr. T. Christie, on certain Newer Deposits in Sicily, &c, Jameson, Ed, 

 Phil, Jpurn,, No, xxiii. p, 1, 



