﻿CAVES 
  IN 
  THE 
  NEIGHBOURHOOD 
  OF 
  TENBY. 
  285 
  

  

  of 
  the 
  caves 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  forest-bed. 
  When 
  the 
  palaeolithic 
  men 
  

   inhabited 
  South 
  Wales, 
  the 
  Bristol 
  Channel 
  was 
  a 
  large 
  well-watered 
  

   plain, 
  with 
  lakes 
  which 
  gigantic 
  Hippopotami 
  inhabited, 
  some 
  of 
  it 
  

   forest-land 
  in 
  which 
  Elephants 
  roamed, 
  while 
  over 
  its 
  plains 
  swept 
  

   herds 
  of 
  wild 
  horses 
  and 
  perhaps 
  oxen. 
  The 
  weaklings 
  and 
  strag- 
  

   glers 
  of 
  these 
  readily 
  fell 
  a 
  prey 
  to 
  the 
  cowardly 
  Hyaenas, 
  and 
  were 
  

   dragged 
  piecemeal 
  into 
  such 
  dens 
  as 
  the 
  Coygan. 
  

  

  The 
  second 
  cave, 
  the 
  "Hoyle's 
  Mouth," 
  about 
  two 
  miles 
  from 
  

   Tenby, 
  is 
  situated 
  in 
  a 
  spur 
  of 
  the 
  " 
  Ridgway," 
  the 
  synclinal 
  axis 
  

   which 
  extends 
  from 
  Tenby 
  to 
  Pembroke. 
  It 
  was 
  partially 
  explored 
  by 
  

   the 
  late 
  Rector 
  of 
  Gumpreston, 
  the 
  Rev. 
  G. 
  Smith, 
  who 
  gave 
  an 
  

   account 
  of 
  his 
  proceedings 
  in 
  a 
  paper 
  read 
  before 
  the 
  British 
  Asso- 
  

   ciation. 
  The 
  fissure 
  had 
  also 
  been 
  examined 
  by 
  others 
  at 
  various 
  

   times. 
  

  

  It 
  will 
  perhaps 
  be 
  necessary 
  to 
  describe 
  first 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  fissure 
  itself 
  

   (fig. 
  2). 
  Entering 
  by 
  a 
  wide 
  and 
  lofty 
  embouchure 
  (A) 
  it 
  soon 
  becomes 
  

   narrow, 
  and, 
  at 
  a 
  distance 
  of 
  about 
  60 
  feet, 
  bends 
  sharply. 
  At 
  a 
  

   further 
  distance 
  of 
  60 
  feet 
  a 
  small 
  chamber 
  (C) 
  is 
  reached 
  ; 
  the 
  last 
  

   and 
  largest 
  chamber 
  (D) 
  is 
  about 
  30 
  feet 
  further 
  on, 
  and 
  from 
  it 
  the 
  

   fissure 
  is 
  only 
  practicable 
  for 
  a 
  further 
  distance 
  of 
  10 
  feet 
  in 
  one 
  

   direction, 
  and 
  with 
  great 
  difficulty 
  for 
  about 
  the 
  same 
  distance 
  in 
  

   another 
  direction 
  (E). 
  

  

  The 
  remains 
  in 
  the 
  collection 
  of 
  the 
  late 
  Rev. 
  G. 
  Smith 
  are 
  those 
  

   of 
  the 
  Bear 
  (Ursus 
  arctos), 
  Reindeer 
  (Cervus 
  tarandus), 
  Irish 
  Elk 
  ( 
  C, 
  

   megaceros 
  ?), 
  and 
  Red 
  Deer 
  (C. 
  elaplius), 
  with 
  bones 
  of 
  recent 
  animals, 
  

   human 
  bones, 
  and 
  flint 
  flakes 
  in 
  considerable 
  numbers. 
  

  

  These 
  flint 
  flakes 
  were 
  assigned 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Smith 
  and 
  others 
  to 
  ^the 
  

   palaeolithic 
  period 
  ; 
  and 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  bones 
  now 
  in 
  the 
  Tenby 
  Museum 
  

   were 
  described 
  as 
  those 
  of 
  the 
  Cave-Bear 
  (27. 
  spelceus) 
  and 
  the 
  

   Hyaena. 
  The 
  former, 
  however, 
  belong 
  apparently 
  to 
  the 
  Brown 
  Bear 
  

   ( 
  U. 
  arctos) 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  only 
  evidence 
  upon 
  which 
  the 
  Hyaena 
  is 
  placed 
  

   on 
  the 
  list 
  is 
  that 
  afforded 
  by 
  two 
  small 
  bones, 
  which 
  have 
  been 
  

   gnawed, 
  and 
  which 
  belong 
  to 
  the 
  Brown 
  Bear. 
  

  

  Three 
  or 
  four 
  years 
  ago 
  I 
  determined 
  to 
  examine 
  the 
  cave 
  

   thoroughly, 
  and 
  with 
  that 
  object 
  commenced 
  operations 
  in 
  the 
  

   inner 
  chamber 
  (D), 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  deposit 
  had 
  been 
  much 
  disturbed 
  

   by 
  previous 
  explorers. 
  Here, 
  mixed 
  up 
  with 
  the 
  remains 
  of 
  recent 
  

   animals, 
  I 
  found 
  remains 
  of 
  the 
  Brown 
  Bear 
  (Ursus 
  arctos), 
  the 
  Rein- 
  

   deer 
  (Cervus 
  tarandus), 
  the 
  Ox 
  (Bos 
  longifrons), 
  the 
  Red 
  Deer 
  (Cervus 
  

   elaplius), 
  Wolf 
  (Canis 
  lupus) 
  or 
  the 
  Dog 
  (C. 
  ?), 
  Eox 
  (C. 
  vidpes), 
  one 
  

   molar 
  of 
  a 
  Horse 
  (Equus 
  caballus), 
  with 
  a 
  small 
  number 
  of 
  flint-chips. 
  

  

  As 
  the 
  deposit 
  in 
  this 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  cave 
  had 
  been 
  disturbed, 
  the 
  

   chamber 
  (C) 
  was 
  next 
  examined, 
  in 
  which 
  a 
  considerable 
  amount 
  

   of 
  recently 
  accumulated 
  debris 
  concealed 
  an 
  unbroken 
  floor 
  of 
  sta- 
  

   lagmite. 
  This 
  floor 
  was 
  compact, 
  crystalline, 
  and 
  upwards 
  of 
  4 
  

   inches 
  in 
  thickness. 
  In 
  a 
  hard 
  breccia 
  which 
  underlaid 
  it 
  I 
  found 
  

   teeth 
  and 
  bones 
  of 
  the 
  Brown 
  Bear 
  (U. 
  arctos) 
  and 
  a 
  single 
  flint- 
  

   flake. 
  Remains 
  of 
  no 
  other 
  animals 
  were 
  found 
  beneath 
  the 
  stalag- 
  

   mite 
  ; 
  and, 
  with 
  the 
  exception 
  of 
  two 
  bones 
  (before 
  referred 
  to), 
  

   none 
  showed 
  the 
  slightest 
  trace 
  of 
  gnawing. 
  

  

  