132 EEY. G. C. H. POLLEN" ON THE [Feb. 1 898, 



V. CONCLTJSIOITS. 



Our excavations have not as yet provided us w^ith certain evidence 

 on many of the questions that have been raised by the cave- 

 explorations of the Vale of Clwyd. Three points are, however 

 clearly established : — 



1. The material in the Ty Newydd Caves, and in the lower part of 

 Pfynnon Beuno and Cae Gwyn is of purely local origin. Of this 

 we can speak with confidence, as the question was before us from 

 the beginning ; we have, therefore, examined all the gravels with 

 minute care, and all stones of whose origin we did not feel certain 

 were forwarded to Dr. Hicks, 



2. This local deposit is of earlier date than the Boulder Clay 

 with western and northern erratics. This was sufficiently proved 

 by the occurrence of the granites and felsites on the hillside at a 

 much higher level than the caves. All doubt on the subject is, 

 however, now removed by our having found the two beds actually 

 superimposed in the second vertical shaft. 



3. The occurrence of the rhinoceros-tooth shows that there was 

 a land-surface, and a climate capable of supporting such large 

 mammalia, either before or during the period when the cave was 

 being filled. 



EXPLATfATION OF PLATE VIII. 



Longitudinal section of Western Cave, Ty Newydd, on the scale of about 



9 feet to I inch. 



Discussion. 



The President said that, having visited the cave during the 

 explorations, he could bear testimony to the unusual care and 

 assiduity with which the work had been conducted. The material 

 as it was being removed was most carefully examined, and measured 

 sections were constantly taken. After the disturbed material at the 

 entrance had been removed, it was found that the deposits, in a 

 more or less stratified condition, extended inwards, and that the 

 various bands could be distinguished throughout. The most 

 important fact, however, was the finding that the deposit in the 

 cavern, which was entirely of local origin, was overlain in one of 

 the fissures by a drift consisting mainly of Western and IS'orthern 

 erratics. The cavern was undoubtedly in existence and had been 

 filled with the deposit before the ice from the Snowdonian district, 

 or from the North, had reached this area. Mr. Strahan, in his 

 excellent memoirs on this area, had pointed out the boundaries 

 where the Western and Northern drifts commingled, and hadshow^n 

 that it was impossible to make any important subdivisions in them. 

 The results now obtained confirmed the views held by the speaker 

 with regard to the deposits in the Ffynnon Beuno and Cae Gwyn 

 Caves, and the time of their occupation by the animals and by man. 

 He hoped that the Author and his friends at St. Beuno's College 

 would continue their excellent work, and that funds would again be 



