TRANSLATIONS AND NOTICES 



OP 



GEOLOGICAL MEMOIRS. 



On the ExPLOEATioNS made during the "Winter of 1865-66 m the 

 Caveens of the hanJcs of the Lesse. By M. E. Dijpont. 



[Etude sur les fouilles scientifiques executees pendant I'hiver de 1865-66 

 dans les cavernes des bords de la Lesse, par M. E. Dupont. Bull, de I'Acad. 

 Royale de Belgique, 2^& serie, tome xxii.J 



Caverns of Font a Lesse. — Several little caverns occur in the com- 

 mune of AnseremmO; about a quarter of a mile down the river, from 

 the castle of Pont a Lesse. They are upon the right bank of the 

 river, and about 30 to- 40 feet above its level. One of the principal 

 of them presented the following section in descending order : — 



1. Greyish-yellow earth, 2| feet. 



2. Dust, 9 inches. 



3. Black earth containing human bones, bones of animals, numerous land 

 shells, with abundant fragments of pottery, some pieces of flint, ashes, &c., 

 li foot. 



4. Yellow clay, 2 inches. 



5. Grrey earth, sometimes encrusted with stalagmite. Human bones, bones 

 of animals, as in bed No. 3, flint, numerous fragments of pottery, ashes, and 

 coals, and plates of psammite. 2^ feet. 



6. Yellow clay, 5 feet. 



7. Traces of yellowish-white pure sand. 



The yellow clay with angular fragments of limestone (No. 6), 

 which is only separated from No. 7 by traces of sand, is easily recog- 

 nized as the equivalent of the argillaceous deposit which overlies 

 the whole province, being the ordinary yellow clay with bloclis 

 (argile jaune a hlocaux) forming the base of the upper stage of the 

 Quaternary formation of this region, and containing in other cases 

 the remains of man, and of a fauna of the age of the Eeindeer. The 

 superposed beds are consequently posterior to that age. The occur- 

 rence in them of a very coarse pottery indicates a pre-Eoman 

 date, a determination which is confirmed by the presence of frag- 

 ments of flints and of two worked flints, together with a little 

 flint arrow-head " a ailerons,^' so characteristic of the age of polished 

 stone. 



Kemains of this age are found at two levels. The first is only 

 separated from the " argile a blocaux " by masses of limestone coming 

 from the partition of the cavern. It furnished fragments of grey 

 pottery with grains of unburiat calcareous spar, not modelled with 

 the hand, some plates of baked flint, two worked flints, a flint 

 arrow-head, a fragment of the tusk of a wild boar pierced with a 

 hole, ashes, and coal, some burnt bones, plates of psammite, and 

 some rolled flints. It also contained human bones, together with 

 bones of the Wild Boar, Goat, Stag, Heath-cock, Water-rat, and 



VOL. XXII. PAKT II. r 



