568 T)K. H, HICKS ON THE 



of about 7 feet from the surface. Additional fragments and some 

 perfect specimens were discovered on subsequent days, and the fol- 

 lowing list was given in my report to the British Association * : — 

 Ostrea s^., Mytilus s'p., Nucula nucleus, Oardium echinatum, 0. edule, 

 Cyprina islandica, Astarte borealis, Artemis exoleta, Venus gallina ?, 

 Tellina balthica, Fsammobia ferroeiisis, Bonax ?, Mya trimcata, Lit- 

 torina sp., Turritella terehra, Buccinum uiidatum. Below the Boulder- 

 elay, at a depth of about 9 feet from the surface, there was exposed 

 some sandy gravel and fine banded sand with a total thickness of 

 over 6 feet, and under the latter a well-defined band of finely lami- 

 nated reddish clay. 



Below the laminated clay the brecciated bone-earth was found to 

 extend as far as the cutting was made in front of the entrance, and 

 also for a distance of 7 feet in a southerly direction from the en- 

 trance. Beyond that point the cutting was made deep enough to 

 reach the sandy gravel under the Boulder-clay, and at different parts 

 test-holes were sunk still deeper into the gravel and sand. One hole 

 was also sunk in the field in tront of the cutting at a distance of over 

 35 feet from the entrance to the cavern. The deposits here were 

 found to be similar to those in the cutting and in front of the cavern, 

 but the depth of soil over the Boulder-clay was only from 1 foot to 

 18 inches. A very large number of smoothed and ice-scratched 

 boulders were found, many of considerable size, the majority being 

 fragments of Wenlock shale from the neighbourhood, and Lower 

 Silurian rocks from the Snowdonian area. Amongst them also were 

 fragments of granite, gneiss, quartzites, flint, diorites, basalts, Car- 

 boniferous rocks, &c. To expose the section in front of the entrance 

 down to the limestone-floor, it was found necessary to remove the 

 timber placed there the year before, and the cutting was widened 

 here sufficiently to show a vertical face of undisturbed deposits. The 

 timber supporting the north-east face was at that time allowed to 

 remain. The finding of marine shells in considerable abundance in 

 a continuous band in the section and round the pit proves that the 

 upper portion of the drift in which they were found, resting on 

 the gravel and sand, is, as I contended in my former papers, the so- 

 ealled Upper Boulder-clay of the Clwyd valley, i. e. where it has not 

 been re-assorted by the action of freshwater, as in some places about 

 St. Asaph and elsewhere along the borders of the channels carved 

 out by the important rivers Elwy and Clwyd. As these shells are 

 found in the deposits belonging to the Glacial period in many areas, 

 and occur in the high-level sands of Moel Tryfaen (1360 feet) and 

 Macclesfield (1200 feet), it seems to be perfectly clear either that 

 the beds were deposited during a great submergence, which took 

 place in Mid-Glacial time or at the close of the Glacial epoch, or that 

 a great ice-sheet passed over this area subsequent to the occupation 

 of the cavern by the animals and by man. The section was visited 

 by Mr. Tiddeman, F.G.S., and Mr. Clement Eeid, F.G.S., both of the 

 Geological Survey, on June 15th, 16th, and 17th, and after a very 



* The specimens were haaded to Mrs. McKenny Hughes, who kindly offered 

 to identify them for us. 



