1906. 
Baki^r. — Mitchclstow7i Caves. 
33 
series, a nameless succession of grottos and tunnels meanders 
down towards the insignificant lakelet called " The River," 
and contains some wonderful examples of cave scenery on a 
miniature scale. It is possible, we learned, to reach the 
easternmost series of caverns by this route, which also takes 
one into the square cavity designated as Cust's Cave" on M. 
Martel's chart. We chose the other way, that is, through the 
passage from the " House of I^ords" to the Cathedral." 
In the tangle of contrary passages into which this leads we 
lost ourselves several times, in the absence of the guide, and 
only recovered the thread by careful observation with the 
compass. Kventually we found the way into " OXeary's 
Cave," which struck us as one of the most impressive 
chambers in the whole cavern. It is not only much larger 
than is shown on the plan, but different in shape. Apparently, 
it is the most recent of all in formation, although this may be 
only an appearance caused by the falling in of the roof. 
Unlike the other parts, where every bit of debris is sealed 
down by a glistening layer of stalagmite, this great cavity is 
heaped high with loose fragments, as free from incrustation 
as if the ceiling had collapsed yesterday. We spent some 
time vainly searching for the horizontal tunnel supposed to 
end at the ''Chimney," and before the guide joined us were 
lucky enough to hit upon a string of chambers that seem 
never to have been entered before. These run, so far as we 
could make out without actual measurement, right over the 
O'Callaghan series. In fact there were openings in the floor 
which we might have explored but for the aggressive and 
tenacious clay bedaubing everything, apparently leading down 
to these nether passages. Brilliant draperies swept down to 
the bold masses of stalagmite below the walls, and long 
crystalline wands hung from the roof in thousands, so that 
we could not move without committing havoc in this pendu- 
lous forest. 
Conducted by the guide, we now descended the " Chimney" 
into the tortuous passages leading to the "Scotchman's Cave," 
which lies under OXeary's. It is a small but very beautiful 
chamber, giving one the idea that it has been hollowed out in 
a mountain of Parian marble. Now we struck into the long 
series lunning east through '* O'Callaghan's Cave" to the 
