1873O Th e Kent's Hole Maehairodus. 213 



confirmation. At present, however, the chronological 

 chasm has been almost, if not entirely, bridged over by 

 M. Aymard's discovery of a tooth of the same species near 

 du Puy, and the disinterment in Buenos Ayres of an almost 

 complete skeleton of Mach.neogaeus, to be described more fully 

 in the sequel, which, according to Dr. H. Burmeister, was 

 the contemporary of the Megatherium and other pleistocene 

 forms. 



In discussing the question immediately before us, it will 

 be necessary to give a brief description of the successive 

 deposits in Kent's Hole :— First, or uppermost, was a very 

 dark coloured mud, from 3 to 12 inches in depth, and known 

 as the Black Mould. Beneath it was a floor of stalagmite, 

 commonly of laminated and granular structure, and termed 

 the Granular Stalagmite or Floor. Next below was an 

 accumulation of bright red loam, with about 50 per cent of 

 angular fragments of limestone, and designated the Cave- 

 Earth. In certain parts of the cavern this rested on a second 

 or lower floor of stalagmite, of highly crystalline texture, in 

 some places upwards of 12 feet thick, and termed the 

 Crystalline Stalagmite or Floor. Under this lay, so far as is 

 at present known, the lowest and oldest deposit of the 

 cavern, consisting of sub-angular and rounded pieces of 

 dark red grit, embedded in a sandy paste of the same colour ; 

 the whole being known as the Breccia. Large coherent 

 masses of the breccia, as well as of the granular stalagmite, 

 occurred in various branches of the cavern incorporated in 

 the cave-earth ; thus showing that prior to the introduction 

 of the latter they were more important formations than they 

 are at present. 



All these deposits contained bones and teeth of animals. 

 In the uppermost, or black mould, they were those of 

 existing species, but in all below it remains of extinct as 

 well as of recent forms presented themselves. In the cave- 

 earth and the granular stalagmite formed on it, but especially 

 the former, the ordinary cave mammals were very abundant; 

 the hyaena being the most prevalent, but followed very closely 

 by the horse and rhinoceros. Remains of megaceros, ox, 

 deer, badger, mammoth, and bear were by no means rare; 

 whilst those of fox, lion, reindeer, and wolf were less 

 prevalent ; and those of beaver, glutton, and Maehairodus 

 were very scarce. In the lower deposits — the crystalline 

 stalagmite and the breccia — remains of animals were less 

 uniformly distributed. In some places none were met with 

 throughout considerable areas, whilst in others they formed 

 50 per cent of the entire deposit ; but, so far as is at present 



