﻿282 
  E. 
  L. 
  JONES 
  ON 
  THE 
  EXPLORATION 
  OF 
  TWO 
  

  

  29. 
  On 
  the 
  Exploration 
  of 
  two 
  Gates 
  in 
  the 
  Neighbourhood 
  of 
  

   Tenby. 
  By 
  Ernest 
  L. 
  Jones, 
  Esq. 
  Communicated 
  by 
  Prof. 
  

   W. 
  Boyd 
  Dawkins, 
  F.R.S., 
  F.G.S. 
  (Read 
  May 
  10, 
  1882.) 
  

  

  The 
  object 
  of 
  the 
  present 
  paper 
  is 
  to 
  give 
  a 
  short 
  account 
  of 
  some 
  

   facts 
  recently 
  brought 
  to 
  light 
  daring 
  the 
  exploration 
  of 
  two 
  caves 
  

   in 
  the 
  neighbourhood 
  of 
  Tenby. 
  

  

  The 
  first 
  of 
  these, 
  the 
  cave 
  of 
  the 
  Coygan, 
  near 
  Laugharne, 
  was 
  

   described 
  by 
  Dr. 
  Hicks, 
  who 
  visited 
  it 
  some 
  years 
  ago 
  ; 
  but, 
  until 
  

   recently, 
  it 
  had 
  never 
  been 
  thoroughly 
  explored, 
  nor 
  had 
  it 
  afforded 
  

   any 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  presence 
  of 
  man. 
  During 
  the 
  past 
  summer 
  it 
  

   was 
  examined 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Laws, 
  of 
  Tenby, 
  and 
  myself 
  with 
  more 
  

   success. 
  

  

  Before 
  giving 
  the 
  results 
  of 
  our 
  exploration, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  advisable 
  

   first 
  of 
  all 
  to 
  describe 
  the 
  fissure 
  itself. 
  The 
  cave 
  (fig. 
  1) 
  is 
  situated 
  

   at 
  the 
  summit 
  of 
  an 
  outlier 
  of 
  Mountain 
  Limestone, 
  which 
  overlooks 
  

   Caermarthen 
  Bay, 
  and 
  forms 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  an 
  ancient 
  line 
  of 
  sea-cliffs. 
  

   It 
  is 
  about 
  250 
  feet 
  above 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  sea. 
  The 
  entrance 
  to 
  the 
  

   cave 
  is 
  below 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  the 
  adjacent 
  rocks, 
  so 
  that, 
  in 
  order 
  to 
  

   enter 
  the 
  cave, 
  you 
  have 
  to 
  descend 
  a 
  small 
  pit 
  or 
  depression 
  at 
  the 
  

   summit 
  of 
  the 
  outlier. 
  On 
  entering, 
  the 
  passage 
  is 
  found 
  to 
  descend 
  

   at 
  an 
  angle 
  of 
  about 
  30°, 
  until 
  a 
  lofty 
  cavern 
  is 
  reached 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  

   of 
  about 
  30 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  entrance. 
  In 
  the 
  widest 
  part 
  the 
  passage 
  

   is 
  about 
  30 
  feet 
  across. 
  

  

  At 
  this 
  point 
  the 
  cave 
  ramifies 
  into 
  two 
  branches 
  at 
  right 
  angles 
  

   to 
  one 
  another 
  ; 
  one 
  of 
  them 
  enters 
  for 
  about 
  80 
  feet, 
  running 
  in 
  a 
  

   direction 
  at 
  right 
  angles 
  to 
  the 
  entrance-passage, 
  and 
  terminates 
  in 
  

   a 
  " 
  spout 
  " 
  (A) 
  at 
  about 
  130 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  mouth 
  of 
  the 
  cave. 
  The 
  

   other 
  branch, 
  which 
  is 
  the 
  prolongation 
  of 
  the 
  entrance-passage, 
  

   passes 
  on 
  for 
  about 
  20 
  feet, 
  forming 
  a 
  moderately 
  large 
  chamber 
  (B) 
  ; 
  

   it 
  then 
  becomes 
  gradually 
  constricted, 
  and 
  terminates 
  likewise 
  in 
  a 
  

   spout 
  (C) 
  at 
  a 
  total 
  distance 
  of 
  117 
  feet 
  from 
  the 
  entrance. 
  

  

  Before 
  we 
  began 
  our 
  excavations 
  the 
  cave-floor 
  was 
  covered 
  with 
  

   a 
  deposit 
  of 
  stalagmite, 
  which 
  had 
  only 
  been 
  broken 
  through 
  in 
  one 
  

   place 
  ; 
  this 
  stalagmite 
  was 
  moreover 
  often 
  concealed 
  by 
  fallen 
  blocks 
  

   and 
  debris 
  of 
  recent 
  accumulation. 
  There 
  was, 
  however, 
  no 
  accu- 
  

   mulation 
  of 
  black 
  earth 
  of 
  neolithic 
  date 
  ; 
  and 
  there 
  were 
  very 
  few 
  

   bones 
  of 
  recent 
  animals 
  above 
  the 
  stalagmite. 
  The 
  stalagmitic 
  floor 
  

   itself 
  varied 
  greatly 
  in 
  thickness, 
  being 
  sometimes 
  quite 
  12 
  inches 
  

   thick. 
  After 
  breaking 
  through 
  the 
  stalagmite, 
  which 
  was 
  very 
  hard 
  

   and 
  crystalline, 
  we 
  came 
  upon 
  the 
  breccia 
  or 
  cave-earth, 
  in 
  which 
  

   we 
  excavated 
  a 
  trench 
  with 
  very 
  satisfactory 
  results. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  abundant 
  remains 
  were 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Cave-Hyaena 
  (ITyama 
  

   spelcea). 
  The 
  teeth 
  and 
  jaws 
  of 
  this 
  creature 
  were 
  most 
  abundant, 
  

   the 
  specimens 
  belonging 
  to 
  individuals 
  of 
  all 
  ages. 
  The 
  coprolites 
  

   of 
  the 
  same 
  animal 
  were 
  also 
  found 
  in 
  incredible 
  abundance, 
  many 
  

   of 
  them 
  occurring 
  in 
  flattened 
  layers, 
  as 
  if 
  they 
  had 
  been 
  trampled 
  

  

  