26 GEOLOGICAL MEMOIBS. 



three vertebrae of a large fish (? Pike). Helix nemoralis, Helix 

 lajoicida, and Unio hatavus were also found associated with them. 

 The author remarks that the occurrence of human bones in the 

 midst of the remains of the repasts of men is at present inexphcable, 

 and rejects the hypothesis that it may indicate cannibalism on the 

 part of the inhabitants of the cave. 



In the beds overlying the '^argile ablocaux," whicb, M. Dupont 

 considers, occupies the place of the loess, an almost complete human 

 skeleton of enormous dimensions was found ; the contour of the 

 grave in which it had been buried could be distinctly traced : and 

 afterwards five other skeletons were found in a common grave. 

 Neither arms nor any other object by which their age could be de- 

 termined were discovered ; and, excepting that they are posterior 

 to the age of polished stone (for the graves are dug in the deposit 

 which overlies remains of this age), no period can be assigned to 

 them. 



Between Chaleux and the castle of "Walsin occur several caverns, 

 three of which the author describes. 



Trou des Blair eauoc (Tro des Tassons). — After passing through a 

 yellow earth almost without blocks, an unstratified yellow clay with 

 blocks is reached. Besides some ashes and a rudely cut block of 

 baked flint, bones of the following species were found : — Horse, Elk, 

 Fox, Otter, Badger, "Wild Cat, and Heath-cock, the bones of the 

 Badger being particularly numerous. Below this was a bed of alter- 

 nating veins of clay and sand, with two beds of gravel. This sandy 

 argillaceous deposit is certainly the " Lehm." 



Trou de VHyene. — This cavern is nearly opposite the " trou des 

 blaireaux," upon the opposite bank of the Lesse ; it has two open- 

 ings, is about 12 feet above the river, and presents the following 

 section : — 



1. Mould formed by dead leaves, and containing bones of the Fox and 

 Fowl. 



2. Yellow clay, containing bones of the Eeindeer and the Horse, as well as two 

 worked flints. 



3. Thin and non-continuous bed of stalagmite. 



4. A sandy argillaceous deposit of a greyish-yellow colour, with traces of stra- 

 tification and rolled pebbles. 



Numerous bones are found in this bed, belonging principally to 

 the following species : — Hymna spelcea, Great Bear, Fox, Horse, Ele- 

 phas priraigenius (milk tooth). Rhinoceros ticJiorhinus, Ox (two spe- 

 cies ?), and Eeindeer. 



The most abundant remains belong to the Hyaena, Ehinoceros, 

 Reindeer, and the Horse ; and nearly all show traces of a strong 

 carnivore, except the Hyana, from which it may be inferred that 

 this cavern was the den of that animal, the other bones being the debris 

 of its repasts. The results attained by the exploration of this cavern 

 are of the highest importance ; for by them we are enabled to assign 

 the place of the great Quaternary mammifers to the stratified sandy 

 argillaceous beds or Lehm, they evidently having lived immediately 

 before the deposition of these strata. On the one side the stratified 



