30 
The Irish Naturalist 
February, 
series of caves, whicli I have little hesitation in identifying 
with Young's cavern and the cave-mouth 1 allude to. 
Dr. C. A. Hill and I visited the spot in August, 1905, 
intending to go through all the accessible parts of the huge 
series now known collectively as Mitchelstown Cave, and also 
to examine the series referred to by Dr. Jameson, who had 
been unable to undertake their exploration. Our impression 
was that little or nothing was known of the latter series, and 
it was. not until after our return from Ireland that we were 
startled and puzzled by turning up an account in "The Post- 
chaise Companion," (1805 ed., p. 301-2) of a cave in this place 
already known and celebrated thirty years before the discovery 
of the Mitchelstown Cave. The explanation probably is, that 
the guides find one cave a more profitable investment than 
two. To show the second (or rather the first, since the other 
is the usurper) v/ould involve twice as much labour, but 
would hardly bring in twice the income. Since 1833, then, 
the original cavern has been suppressed, so successfully that 
even the omniscient Baddeley never suspects that there are 
two series, although he has read Young's description and con- 
fused it with the other. Dr. Hill let me down a few feet into 
the old cave-mouth, just such a narrow slit as Young depicts ; 
but we found that the rock was cut away immediately beneath, 
and without more hauling power, the only way to get down 
was to use a long ladder, and this we could not obtain. The 
guide told us that the hole led into nothing of any interest, 
and that the entrance had been used as a receptacle for 
deceased dogs and other excreta. This effectually took away 
any wish to pursue our researches in that direction for the 
present. Still, the old cave ought not to be lost sight of ; and 
we propose, if no one else undertakes the work, to explore the 
lower series on some future visit to Ireland. The unscientific 
explorers of a hundred years ago may have left discoveries to 
future workers as important as those which remained for so 
many years after the early explorations in the neighbouring 
great cave. 
What was done in the latter during the first year after the 
discovery may be read in an article by Dr. Apjohn, in the 
Dublin Penny Journal for December 27, 1834, an article 
reproduced from the Dublin Geological Journal^ vol. I. Dr. 
