294 PEOCEEDINGS OF THE GEOLOGICAL SOCIETY. [May 22, 



ing this basin with the east and west basins of the Mediterranean 

 (see fig. 3). 



The abundance of the remains of Hippopotamus that have been 

 accumulated in the Malta caverns lying over the bold coastline of 

 this island, as also in the caverns over the north shore of Sicily, 

 and also in another at the level of the sea or, indeed, partially below 

 its level, that was discovered by the late Dr. Falconer near Syracuse, 

 seems therefore to point to the necessary existence of large areas of 

 land and fresh water when these Hippopotami existed in great 

 abundance, as well as of abundant vegetation and of forests at that 

 time. The late Mr. Leonard Horner, when President of the Geolo- 

 gical Society, in referring to my notice of the discovery of the Crendi 

 cavern with such abundant remains of Hippopotamus, in his Address 

 for the year 1861, consequently conceived that a large river must 

 have ilowed between Malta, Sicily, and Africa, at the time these 

 creatures were so numerous ; and Dr. Leith Adams, in a subsequent 

 notice of the Crendi cavern, adopts the same view, and thus con- 

 siders that bold coast of Malta to represent the bank of an ancient 

 river. 



But the same reasoning and conclusion, if sound for the south 

 coast of Malta in explanation of the existence there of Hippopo- 

 tamus, must be likewise applied to the north coast of the island 

 under the Melliha cave, and likewise to the whole of the north and 

 east coast of Sicily opposite Palermo and Syracuse, where similar 

 remains are found, but in much greater abundance ; and therefore to 

 suppose that a river meandered round all these coasts at one time, 

 since the known caverns with Hippopotamus are all confined to the 

 coast, involves the combination of many contingencies, for the main- 

 tenance and confinement of such a river, not usually met with, and 

 certainly not indicated by the geological facts and physical features 

 in connexion with either of the localities. 



I therefore am induced to repeat what I have before advanced, 

 that it seems, in my humble judgment, rather to point to a fresh- 

 water, or perhaps brackish-water condition of the whole Mediter- 

 ranean area at that time, especially as we find these ossiferous 

 caverns mainly upon the margin of its steepest coast-line ; and sin- 

 gularly too they are maioly over the deepest parts of the sea at 

 present surrounding these islands ; and thus where an opposite hank 

 for even an unusually wide river is in no way identifiable by any 

 existing bank or submerged ridge within those deeps, viz. not 

 within a distance of 60 miles directly opposite the Crendi Cavern, 

 and with a depth of 500 fathoms between, at only 5 miles from the 

 cavern. And opposite to the Sicily caverns we must cross to Sar- 

 dinia and Greece for such a feature, there being from 50 to 1500 

 fathoms between. 



The different elevations of these caves, from those at the sea-level 

 (as the Syracuse cavern) to others at heights of from 300 to 600 feet 

 above it, show the great and varied movements of the whole land that 

 have occurred since the existence of these creatures — that is, both 

 upcasts and downcasts of considerable amount. 



