ON SOME BONE-CAYES IN NORTH WALES. 



2. Results of recent Pieseaeches in some Eone-caves in North 

 Wales (Eetnnon Beuno and Cae Gwyn). By Heney Hicks, 

 M.D., F.E.S., F.G.S. ; -with a ISTote on the Animal Remains, by 

 W. Dayies, Esq., E.G.S. (Eead NoYember 18, 1885.) 



Introduction. 



A SHORT account of these caYerns and of some trial examinations 

 made in them by Mr. E. EouYerie Lnxmoore, of St. Asaph, and 

 myself, was giYen by me in a paper read before the Geologists' 

 Association on ISToYember 7th, 1884*. j^o attempt at a systematic 

 exploration, how^ever, was made until the early part of the past 

 summer, when a staff of workmen was employed under the personal 

 superYision of Mr. Luxmoore and myself to excaYate the two caYerns 

 simultaneously, the funds for the purpose being placed at our dis- 

 posal by the Royal Society on the recommendation of the GoYern- 

 ment Grant Committee. The owners of the land, P. P. Pennant, 

 Esq,, and Edwin Morgan, Esq., readily gaYe us permission to carry 

 on the explorations, and frequently during the prosecution of the 

 work we were indebted to them also for many courteous acts and 

 for Yery Yaluable assistance. 



The caYerns are situated in a Carboniferous Limestone escarpment 

 forming the north side of a raYine near Tremeirchion, on the east 

 side of the Yale of Clwyd (fig, 1). The heights of the caYerns 

 aboYe sea-leYcl are about 380 and 400 feet, and they are about 42 

 and 62 feet aboYe the stream in the raYine. Both haYe their 

 entrances looking towards the south. A reddish Boulder-clay 

 coYers the bottom of the raYine and also the slope on the opposite 

 side to a considerable height, and another escarpment of Carboni- 

 ferous rocks becomes exposed at the higher IcycIs on that side. 

 The stream is gradually deepening its course by cutting through 

 the Boulder-clay, but it has not as yet reached the original floor 

 of the valley. At different points along the Yalley the Boulder- 

 clay with its associated sands and gravels is left in miniature 

 terraces at various heights, some being above the horizon of the 

 caverns. An important section showing bands of sand and 

 gravel with scratched boulders is to be seen about four hundred 

 feet east of the caverns on the same side of the valley, at the point 

 indicated in the sketch (fig. 1, D). This gravel-pit is slightly 

 above the level of Cae Gwyn Cave. Fragments of shells were found 

 in the sands and gravels here, but they were too imperfect for de- 

 termination. The boulders and rolled pebbles in this pit are frag- 

 ments of various rocks, the majority perhaps being of local origin ; 

 but there are many among them which must have been derived 

 from very distant sources. The rocks of the hills above, Denbigh- 

 shire flags and grits, have supplied a large proportion, as also the 



* " On some recent Eesearches in Bone-caves in Wales," Proc. Geologists' 

 Association, vol. ix. Iso. 1. 



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