88 



THE BONE-CAVE OK FISSUEE OF DUEDKAM DOWN, 



these caverns wore tho rosorfc of tlic liynona or tiger (?), 

 wlioro tlioy dragged in and devoured tlicir pi'ey, and after- 

 wards died in tho same cave." * 



For tho same reasons as those given by JVI'r. Stutchbury, 

 I should bo inclined to dissent from the foregoing observa- 

 tion, and to accept tho hypothesis that the Durdham Down 

 Cave really did servo as a haunt for hyasnas (and at a later 

 date, perhaps, for wolves and foxes), as tlus correct one in 

 account for tho introduction of their osseous contonts. As 

 regards the alleged exceptional size of the teeth of the fossil 

 bears and hyasnas compared with tliose of tlioir recent allies, 

 I may observe that so far as the liyasna is concoi-ned there 

 are no teeth in tho Bristol Museum of a size sufficient to 

 support this inference, but there is a mandible of a cavo 

 bear of average adult size (measuring 1' Of" from condyles 

 to incisor border, and more than 9" from condyle to condyk!), 

 considerably larger tlian that of tho great polar bear, wliieli 

 might therefore be taken to justify tlie comparison instituted 

 by Mr. Stutchbury, so far as bears are concerned. 



Geologists will not at the present day be pi-epared to 

 accept the hypothesis of subsequent earth raovomonts in. 

 order to account for the fractured elephant's tooth and 

 bones. Tho fractures are not of that clean-cut kind which 

 a fault would jtroducc ; a fall from some height on to a 

 hard, I'ocky ])roje(!tion would probably suffice to explain the 

 a|)|)earances met with. 



Although tho special object of this communication has 

 now been accomplished, I must not conclude wiUioiit a brief 

 reference to the lessons, so pregruint with interest, whieli 

 are to be derived from a considei'ation of the foregoing faels. 

 For the following generalizations, I niiiy say that I am 



T/if Geolooi-il. London, vol. ii., 184.^, pp. 71, 72. 



