ON MAMMALIA E'lft. FOUND IN THE ROBIN-HOOD CAVE. 245 



29. On the Mammalia and Traces of 'Man found in the Robin-Hood 

 Cave. By W. Boyd Dawxins, Esq., M.A., F.R.S., F.G.S., 

 F.S.A., Professor of Geology and Palaeontology in the Owens 

 CoUege. (Read April 5, 1876.) 



Contents. 



1 . Cave occupied by Hyaenas during deposition of Lower and Middle strata. 



2. Occupation of cave by Hyaenas interrupted by floods. 



3. Occupation of cave by Hyaenas during deposition of cave-earth interrupted 



by Man. 



4. Occupation by Man during the period of the Breccia. 



5. Dog not present. 



6. Fauna of the Breccia different from that of underlying strata. 



7. Remains from surface-soil. 



8. Distribution of Species in the cave. 



9. Notes on Species. 



10. Traces of Man in the cave. 



11. Implements of antler and mammoth-tooth. 



12. Implements of quartzite and ironstone. 



13. Implements of flint. 



14. Distribution of implements in cave. 



15. The ruder implements the older. 



1G. North-western range of Palaeolithic hunters. 



The discovery of the fossil remains in the Robin-Hood Cave, 

 brought before the Geological Society by the Rev. J. Magens Mello 

 in the preceding paper, is of no common interest. It proves 

 not only that the caves of Derbyshire were the lairs of Hyaenas in 

 ancient times, but that they were inhabited by the same kind oi 

 Palaeolithic men as those of the caves of the south of England, 

 of France, Belgium, and Switzerland. The remains have been 

 handed over to me for description by Mr. Mello and his coadjutor 

 Mr. Heath, and are the subject of the following remarks. 



1. Cave occupied by Hyaenas during deposition of Lower 

 and Middle strata. 

 A comparison of the bones and teeth from the lower red sand 

 and clay, and from the cave-earth, with those from "Wbokey Hole, 

 Kent's Hole, Kirkdale, and other hyaena-dens, renders it impossible 

 to doubt that the great majority of the animals in the cave were 

 killed and eaten by the Hyaenas. With few exceptions the solid 

 bones are alone perfect, the long bones containing marrow and the 

 vertebrae being represented merely by gnawed fragments. All the 

 lower jaws have lost their angles and coronoid process ; and the 

 number of teeth stands in a greater ratio to the quantity of bones, 

 than would have been the case had not their possessors fallen a prey 

 to a bone-destroying animal. The only long bones and vertebrae 

 which were found without marks of the teeth of Hyaena were met 

 with in the lowest ossiferous stratum, and belong to the Bison and 

 Reindeer. Their presence may be explained by the supposition that 

 they were introduced by the stream flowing past the entrance. 



