242 R. PENNINGTON ON THE CASTLETON BONE- CAVES. 



a few bones and teeth were from time to time obtained, including 

 those of the reindeer and aurochs, with a very fine horn-core of the 

 latter animal. 



The position of the quarry is curious. It is near the top of the 

 Winnetts, the pass leading from the fertile Vale of Hope to the 

 Cheshire valleys and plains, and very near to the most northern 

 point of the Mountain-limestone of Derbyshire. Immediately to 

 the north are the Yoredales of Mam Tor, the " Shivering Mountain." 

 The beds dip northwards ; a fault runs close to the spot. The line 

 of division between the Mountain Limestone and the overlying rocks 

 runs, roughly speaking, to the S.E., and S.W. of this quarry. It has 

 been described as on the dividing-line of the east and west water- 

 sheds of the Pennine chain, and just on the western slope (Plant, 

 Manchester Geological Society, April 28th, 1874). This is a mis- 

 take, as all the water there and for two miles to the west flows east- 

 wards. . There is immediately below, to the west, a trough-like 

 valley, whence there is no surface outlet. All the water disappears 

 into swallows, flows southward for a short distance underground, 

 and is then intercepted by the channel which supplies the torrent in 

 the Speedwell mine, which conducts it in an easterly direction to 

 the Peak Cavern at Castleton, thence flowing into the Derwent, and 

 so to the Trent, not into the Mersey as described. 



Close to the quarry are two such water- swallows, which, how- 

 ever, discharge their waters into the Yale of Hope, near to the base 

 of Tre-Cliff. And yet the situation can hardly be said to be on the 

 eastern Pennine slope ; it is, more correctly speaking, on the southern 

 slope. The Pennine chain at its southern extremity becomes forked. 

 Kinder Scout and its outliers constitute a range of hills than which 

 there are none higher in England to the south. Going south from 

 them the hills diminish, but at the same time diverge. Kinder 

 Scout is capped by Millstone Grit; and two lines of Millstone -Grit and 

 Yoredale hills run off from it to the S.E. and S.W. Between these 

 two ranges, which are still of considerable height, there is exposed 

 a less elevated range of Mountain Limestone. The highest points of 

 their formation are lower than the Millstone-Grit heights either to 

 north, east, or west. 



By degrees all the uplands gradually diminish, until the bold 

 heights of Edale, Castleton, Abney Moor, and Axe Edge, sink away 

 into the wolds of South Derbyshire. 



The only rivers of importance in the north of England persevering 

 long in a southerly course are the Derbyshire Derwent, Wye, and 

 Dove. The water-swallows of the Windy-Knoll Quarry and its 

 vicinity discharge their streams into the Derwent; and the water does 

 not turn eastward for any distance till the Derwent falls into the 

 Trent, more than 40 miles from the point in question. 



Observation convinced us (and subsequent exploration confirmed 

 our conclusion) that the fissure in which the bones lay was but an 

 offshoot of, or opening into, a sort of rock-basin lying to the north 

 of it and behind the rocks shown in the sketch. A section of the 

 rock would be somewhat thus :-— 



