PhUNKETT — On the Exploration of the Knockninny Cave. 469 



would be a considerable size, as it contained such a quantity of cave- 

 earth. Haying obtained a vertical section at the mouth of the cave, 

 4 feet deep, and finding the remains above mentioned, I came to 

 the conclusion that it would repay the trouble of exploring, as I con- 

 jectured from what I found that it would yield interesting relics. 

 Without further delay I decided on making the necessary arrange- 

 ments to have it thoroughly explored. 



It being on the property of Lord Erne, this nobleman, on being 

 asked, kindly gave permission to have it examined. 



Having provided crowbars, picks, and buckets, we set to work ; 

 and before giving a detailed account of the exploration, I should state 

 that the cave passes (fig. 2) into the hill with a gentle curve for a dis- 

 tance of 35 feet, when it narrows to a width of 2 feet, and 4 feet high. 

 Passing through this narrow door the cave immediately enlarges to a 

 width of 6 feet, and 10 feet high; then, taking a sudden bend, 

 passes out westward on a rocky shelf on the top of a precipitous 

 rock. The distance from the east entrance to where it passes out 

 in the west is 51 feet, and varies in height from 10 to 4 feet. 

 These observations apply to the cave when excavated. When we 

 had progressed with the exploration a few feet inside the cave, on 

 examining the strata, I found it was composed of five distinct layers. 

 The method I adopted in removing the stuff was — first, to remove 

 the top layer for a distance of 3 feet (horizontally), and so on, 

 layer after layer, to the bottom, putting in a separate place any 

 object of interest which I found in each or any of the layers. I 

 examined each stratum separately as it was carried out in buckets, 

 turning it over with a trowel so carefully that the smallest object 

 could not escape my notice. 



The upper layer was entirely composed of small angular lime- 

 stones, somewhat larger than road stones, in which there were no 

 objects of any interest found. It covered the whole surface of the 

 cave from the east to the west end, and had an average depth of 

 from 1 foot in the east to 18 inches in the west end. I was greatly 

 puzzled to know how these stones could be introduced, especially 

 when I found them so uniformly deposited ; but when I was ex- 

 ploring the west end of the cave I believe I was able to solve this 

 problem, which I shall explain presently. 



The next layer was composed of black mould, and had an average 

 depth of 16 inches : it contained traces of charcoal, some human and 

 animal bones, quite dark in colour, produced by the dark earth in 

 which they were embedded. 



The third, or next stratum, consisted of a peculiar kind of brown 

 compact earth, containing some angular blocks of limestone, which 

 bore marks of fixe ; these stones must have been carried in by the 

 cave dwellers, as no stones fell from the roof in this end of the cave, 

 as it formed an irregular pointed arch, the surface presenting a smooth 

 appearance, the result of water at the time it traversed the cave. 

 There were also found in it a great many fragments of rude 

 pottery, which had a dark smoked appearance, which it is evident 



