Yol. 54.] EXPLORATION OF TT NEWYDD CAVES. 123 



the latter state it is often hard to distinguish from the red clay- 

 next described. When at all dry it separates readily along the 

 laminae and gives a bright streak vi^ith the pick. 



5. The Red plastic clay appears frequently to be derived 

 from the last by partial removal of the sand ; it then retains the 

 lines of lamination, though obscurely, but does not split up. At 

 other times it is browner in colour and free from lamination, and 

 nils several of the larger horizontal fissures. 



6. The Yellow stiff clay seems to be another modification of 

 no. 4, from which all sand has been removed. It is very stift', of a 

 bright yellow colour, with scarlet bands, and readily splits up into 

 thin layers. This bed only occurs as a lenticular mass in the 

 Eastern Cave. 



7. The Blue stiff clay does not occur in regular beds, but in 

 larger or smaller irregular masses. It fills many of the horizontal 

 fissures, where alone it is compressed into laminas. It is very stiff', 

 and in parts quite hard and nearly purple. 



II. The Eastern Cave. 



The Eastern Cave was concealed by a bank of drift which ex- 

 tended along one side of the exposed front. It was entirely pro- 

 tected by the overhanging roof, and was evidently undisturbed 

 except for 1 or 2 feet at the top.^ The bank was 6 feet high, with 

 au open space of 5 feet between it and the roof. It rested on a 

 fioor of broken rock 422 feet above sea-level. Sections were 

 taken at all the places marked with Arabic numerals on the 

 accompanying map (fig. 2, p. 124). 



The southern side consisted almost entirely of laminated clay. 

 The lines of lamination were very wavy near the rock-wall — a 

 result sufliciently accounted for by the trickling of water along the 

 rock, gradually washing and dragging down that side of the bed. 

 We could, however, trace continuous laminae horizontally from south 

 to north through the whole length of the bed, and also, on digging 

 ack, we could follow the same lines with a slight north-easterly 

 dip throughout the whole Eastern Cave. 



The northern side of the external bank consisted of the same 

 laminated clay alternating with beds of fine gravel, which thinned 

 out towards the centre of the bank, and only reappeared as lenti- 

 cular masses towards the south-east of the cave inside. Here 

 they gradually merged into red plastic clay overlying the continuous 

 laminated clay. 



The lowest bed of gravel was coarser than those above, but did 

 not extend into the cave. Of these gravels the upper one alone con- 

 tained fragments of broken stalagmite averaging ^ inch in thickness. 



^ There is a tradition that the body of a murdei-ed pedlar was found here 

 during the quarrying some 60 years ago. A box of gold coins and a red 

 silk shawl ! (the latter fondly remembered by the female inhabitants of the 

 village), which were supposed to have been buried with him, have not yet 

 been found. 



