CAE GWYN CAVE, NORTH WALES. 



569 



careful examiuation they came to the conclusion that tho deposits were 

 correctly classed with those belonging to the Glacial epoch and that 

 they were in position as originally deposited. These gentlemen were 

 also shown the brecciated bone-earth underlying the gravel and sand 

 in front of tho entrance and at the south-west end of the pit, ^ feet 

 from the edge of the entrance, and they admitted that it clearly passed 

 under the drift-section. Indeed, some blocks of limestone were 

 removed from tho brecciated bone-earth, which caused the overlying 

 sand to fall, thereby exposing at the south-west end, and quite near 

 to the cliff face, a remarkably clear section of stratified sand dipping 

 away from the cavern. The evidence obtained during the excava- 

 tions in June demolished so completely all the objections previously 

 raised that for some time we were fain to believe that no further 

 opposition to our views would be made. In this, however, we were 

 mistaken, for during a visit of a few hours paid to the section in 

 September by General Pitt-Rivers and Dr. John Evans, accompanied 

 by Prof. Hughes, after the section had been exposed to the weather 

 for between two and three months, they noticed that some of the 

 uppermost deposits at one or two points had slipped a little towards 

 the pit ; and the idea seemed then to have occurred to them that this 

 was an indication that there must have been a swallow-hole at the 

 point where the shaft was sunk. When I was informed of this, 

 although I knew that it must have been an entirely recent change, 

 I decided to have that portion of the shaft which had not been ex- 

 posed during the June excavations re-examined, so that there may 

 be no doubt whatever as to the conditions behind the timber placed 

 there at the close of the work in 1886. Permission for this to be 

 done was most kindly granted by the owner Mr. Morgan, and, as in 

 former explorations, he, Mr. Luxmoore, and Mr. Pennant assisted in 

 the supervision of the work. Prof. Hughes and myself being also 

 present during most of the time. Work was resumed on September 

 29th. After the timber and the material which had been thrown 

 behind it to support the face, here 20 feet in depth, had been removed, 

 a section of the deposits, as left by us in our researches in June 1886, 

 was exposed, as well as some of the brecciated bone-earth which had 

 not then been removed from the bottom of the shaft. On making 

 a fresh face to the section at the parts where the recent looping 

 down of the upper deposits had taken place, it was at once seen 

 that this was due to a recent slip, and that the deposits behind and 

 below were entirely unaffected by it. It is hardly necessary again 

 to mention the fact that all the observers who saw the section when 

 the shaft was first opened state emphatically that there was no 

 looping down to be seen at those points at that time, nor when the 

 upper part of the opening was widened and sloped at the close of the 

 work in 1886. 



The photographs which were taken by Mr. Helsby, of Den- 

 bigh, on October 1st, show most conclusively that the bone-earth 

 passed directly under the vertical drift- section ; and it was proved 

 by explorations subsequent to the day when the photographs were 

 taken that it extended for a considerable distance beyond that 



