L859.] l'ALCONKK — GEOITA m MACCAGNONB. lU] 



in consequence of the rubbish of the excavation-operations having 

 been thrown up in a great mass of talus extending backwards to near 

 the roof of the cavern. 



In 1829 there was a great demand for bones for the manufacture 

 of lamp-black for sugar-refining. The superficial bones of the San 

 Ciro cavern were collected in large quantities and exported to Eng- 

 land and Marseilles. Professor Eerrara states, that within the first 

 six months 400 quintals were procured from San Ciro. The great 

 majority belonged to two species of Hippopotamus. In one heap, 

 out of several shiploads sent to Marseilles, De Christol, an able 

 palaeontologist, had found that in a weight of 30 quintals all the 

 bones belonged to Hippopotamus, with the exception of six derived 

 from Bos and Cervus. Dr. Falconer had examined in detail the San 

 Giro collection in the University of Palermo, and found, as a general 

 rule, that Hippopotamus bones preponderated in a similar propor- 

 tion. De Christol had counted about 300 astragali alone of this 

 genus ; and Abbe Scina had collected, for the Museum of Palermo, 

 76 astragali of. Hippopotamus, 40 of which belonged to the right 

 side and 36 to the left. The bone-breccia is chiefly composed of 

 bones of Hippopotamus, and extends on either side outside the caw- 

 to a length of about 85 yards. Assuming the above ratio of astra- 

 gali to the other bones as a standard for an approximative estimate 

 of the number of the skeletons inside and outside the cavern, the 

 author showed what a vast number of individuals it implied. He 

 considered that they were accumulations of a long series of genera- 

 tions. A lively discussion having arisen in Sicily as to the origin of 

 these bones, in which Ferrara maintained the opinion that they con- 

 aistedof the skeletons of Elephants captured byMetellus from Has- 

 drubal 504 years before the Christian era. and of Hippopotami im- 

 ported by the Saracen rulers of Sicily during the Middle Ages, the 

 government undertook an exploration of the cavern. A deep trench 

 was dug longitudinally into the cavern; and the bone-breccia was 

 quarried out, along a considerable extent, down to the floor of the 

 cavern. Some very interesting phenomena were disclosed. The 

 eastern wall i Left, on entering) was found to be smoothly polished to 

 a height of 18 feet, the lower s feet of which formed a hand thickly 

 drilled with Pholad-borings. The holes were filled with matrix of 

 the bone-breccia, and thej were greatly reduced in depth by the 

 grinding action which had produced the polished surface. The op- 

 posite wall of the cavern was equally polished to the same height, but 

 tree from borings. The walls above the polished hand, and the 

 roof, were rugged and lamellar, with but a very Bparing exhibition 



of Btalagmite on the latter. The author had identified tVnm San 



Ciro two species ol Hippopotamus, Elephas antiquus, Bus, Bos, Cervus, 

 Ursus, Cants, and a Large species of FeUs, Elephas antiquus else- 

 where indicates the newer Pliocene age. 



Another cave, hitherto ondescribed, called the "Grottadi Mac- 

 cagnone," about a mile to the westward of Carini, was lately the 

 special Bubjed of the author' b. It is nowhere noticed bj 



the Sicilian historian-. Dr. Falconer's attention had been din 



i 2 



