DEIFTS OF THE VALE OF CLWYD. 



107 



between the periods of deposition may be. There is no necessity for 

 calling in glacial action or any conditions different from what com- 

 monly now recur in caves periodically invaded by muddy water to 

 account for laminated clay. 



The Cefn caves were first described by Dr. George Cumming, of 

 Dolhyfryd, near Denbigh (see 4 Llandudno, A Handy Guide, &c.,' 

 by J. Price, p. 80). 



They have since that time been frequently noticed : — Stanley, 

 Edin. New Phil. Journ. vol. xiv. ] 833, p. 40, Proc. Geol. Soc. vol. i. 

 p. 402 ; Bowman, J. G., Brit. Assoc. 1836, Bep. Sect. p. 88 ; 

 Falconer, Pal. Mem. vol. ii. p. 541 • Anon., ' Geologist,' 1863, 

 p. 114 ; Dawkins, ' Cave Hunting,' p. 286. 



In a discussion before the Society (Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. 

 vol. xxvii. p. 410) Mr. Symonds explained the manner of occurrence 

 of the shells in those caves, and I stated that I inferred, from what 

 I had myself observed, that they were all introduced with the rain- 

 wash through fissures &c. from overlying beds of shell-bearing drift. 



The Pontnewydd cave, near Cefn, I described* some years ago, in 

 conjunction with my friend Archdeacon Thomas. With regard to 

 the traces of human handiwork we said : — 



" On the whole, therefore, it would appear that we have fragments 

 of the toughest stone of a country where suitable flint could not be 

 procured, shaped like some of the undoubted flint implements of the 

 caves of Dordogne, occurring in a cave associated with the same 

 group of animals as that found with the French implements ; that 

 these instruments are formed of fragments of felstone such as is 

 abundant in the drift of the neighbourhood and in the cave-deposits. 

 A portion of the original surface left on some of the implements 

 shows that they were formed out of such weathered fragments. 

 Unless, therefore, the fragments from which the implements were 

 formed were brought by man from another and distant river- 

 basin, they must have been obtained from the drift, and this is 

 rendered almost certain by their being found associated with remanie 

 drift mixed with tumble from the roof of the cave. Therefore 

 they must belong to a period later than the glacial dispersion of 

 the Snowdonian drift. Flint flakes and scrapers have been found in 



the cave ; and pieces of undressed flint certainly occur in 



the older beds (c), which would make it at any rate of not earlier 

 date than the St. Asaph drift." 



I have often worked in this cave since then, and added much to 

 the collection and the evidence, but see no reason to depart from 

 the conclusions at which we then arrived. I referred the bones to 

 Professor Busk, who wrote to me as follows : — 



" I have looked over the collection of bones and teeth from Pont- 

 newydd cave, and find they belong to Hycena spelcea, Ursus spelceus, 

 U. ferox, Equus caballus, Rhinoceros hemitoechus, Cervus elaphus, 

 O. capreolus, Canis lupus, C. vulpes, Meles taocus, Homo sapiens, 

 besides indeterminable or not easily determinable splinters, many of 



* Journ. Anthrop. Inst. vol. hi. 1874, p. 390 ; see also Brit. Assoc. Eep. 1881 

 p. 700; Mackintosh, Quart. Journ. Geol. Soc. vol. xxxii. 1876. 



