UssHer, Apams, and KinAnHAN—On Ballynamintra Cave. 73 
XVII.—Assrract oF REPoRT oN THE ExprLoration oF BaLtyNAMIN- 
TRA Cave, Cappacu, NEAR Dunecarvan. By R.J. Ussner, A. Lerra 
Apams, M.D., F.R.S., and G. H. Krnanan, M.R.I.A. 
[Read, May 10, 1880.] 
Tue Ballynamintra Cave, which forms the subject of the following 
pages, was discovered by Mr. Ussher in 1878, but was not explored 
until April, 1879, when the excavations were commenced along with 
Professor Leith Adams, who inspected their progress from time to 
time. Mr. Kinahan subsequently made a careful survey of the cave. 
The cave of which we treat forms a horizontal tunnel for nearly 
thirty feet, which was nearly filled to the roof with strata, presenting 
the following general section, in descending order :— 
1. The brown earth, eighteen inches to. twenty-four inches in 
depth. 
2. The grey stratum; earth and calcareous tufa, fourteen to twenty 
inches in depth. 
3. The pale, sandy earth. 
4. The crystalline stalagmite. 
5. The gravel, which rested on the limestone floor. 
Outside the present mouth flanking walls of rock form continua- 
tions of the sides of the cave, and indicate that it extended further 
out. The existing roof, for the first twenty-four feet, has an arched, 
worn appearance, and the left wall presents a hollow surface similar 
to that of the roof. On the right side was a range of swallow-holes 
that were concealed by the upper strata, but at a greater depth were 
empty ; towards them water-worn crevices ran down the walls on both 
sides of the.cave, and contained numerous relics. 
STRATIFIED Deposits. 
I.— The Brown Earth. 
This was the uppermost deposit. Its materials corresponded with 
those which form the surface outside the cave. It contained great 
numbers of remains (the bones being usually yellow, and in frag- 
ments) of rabbit, hare, goat, ox, fox, pig, red deer, dog, marten, horse, 
and hedgehog, and of several birds ; the animals first in this list being 
the most numerously represented. We have also from the brown 
earth one metatarsal of bear (darker than the former bones), a number 
of broken bones of the Irish elk, blackened and exhibiting dendrites, 
as well as the fragments of a human skull (also exhibiting dendrites), 
and other human bones. 
R. I. A. PROC., SER. II. VOL. II.—POL. LIT. AND ANTIQ. i 
