416 



THE GEOLOGIST. 



The raised beach at Mewslade Bay, which appears, according to the evidence of 

 Mr. Prestwieh, to be of later date than the Boulder-clay, has without doubt 

 partaken of changes of level similar to w^hat the caves and their contents 

 have undergone ; although the marine deposits in the caves not being at a 

 uniform level, either in relation to each other or to the raised beach, it is pro- 

 bable that there have been locally unequal depressions of level in comparatively 

 modern times. The author thinks that the sea has effected but a comparatively 

 slight inroad on the cave-deposits and raised beach ; and hence he infers that 

 they belong to a comparatively modern epoch, — seeiag also that they are pro- 

 bably of later date than the Boulder-clay period, and rest on mariue sands 

 containing existing species of shells. 



Paviland Cave was next referred to; but the author restricted his remarks to 

 the remains of ElepJias primigenius and human bones that were found in it, and 

 ai-gues that the latter, {i. e. the skeleton of the " Bed Lady") are of more 

 recent date than the former. 



In the cave at Spritsail Tor, under a stalagmitic bone-breccia, the irregular 

 fissure of the rocky floor was impacted with ochreous cave- earth full of bones 

 and teeth of Mephas antiquus, E. primigenius, Rhinoceros, tichorhinus, Equus, 

 Sus, Bos, CervMS, Lepus, Arvicola, Mus, Ursus spelceus, U. priscus (?), Felis 

 spelcea. Hyena spel(sa, Canis lupus, C. vulpes, Meles tuxus, and Mustela. Cop- 

 rolites of Hi/£pna, gnawed bones of Bos, Equus, and Cervus, and a great abundance 

 of the detached molars of horse, gave the cave the undoubted character of 

 having been a Hysena's den. In the superficial sand on the stalagmite, the 

 antlers of a Reindeer and some human bones were found. 



After a comparative review of the fauna of the Gower bone-caves in relation 

 with that of other cave-districts of England, and of Europe iu general, the 

 author arrived at the following conclusions. 



1. That the Gower Caves have probably been filled up wi.h their mamma- 

 lian remains since the deposition of the Boulder-clay. 



2. That there are no mammalian remains found elsewhere in England and 

 Wales referable to a fauna of a more ancient geological date. 



3. The Elep/ias (Loxodon) meridionalis and Rhinoceros Etruscus, which occur 

 in, and are characteristic of, the " Submarine-forest Bed" that immediately 

 underlies the Boulder-clay on the Norfolk coast, have nowhere been met with 

 in the British caverns. 



4. That Elephas antiquus, with Rhinoceros hemitoechus, and E. primigenius 

 wdth Rh. tichorhinus, though respectively characterizing the earlier and later 

 portions of one period, were probably contemporary animals ; and that they 

 certainly were companions of the Cave-Bears, Cave-Lions, Cave-Hysenas, &c., 

 and of some at least of the existing mammalia. 



[The Geological Society's Meetings are resumed on the 7th iust.] 



Geologists' Association. — Rev. Walter Mitchell will read a paper "On the 

 Application of Crystallography to Mmeralogy and Geology." 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



Travertine Deposits along the Eoot of Kinder Scout, Derbyshire. 

 — It \vill perhaps be interesting to Manchester geologists to know that a de- 

 posit of travertine is now forming along the base of the above hill. The 

 nearest deposits of this kind are at Matlock Bath, in the mountain limestone, a 



