BRITISH ASSOCIATION MEETING. 



539 



run in a north-west and south-east direction. The line just mentioned will 

 divide our area into two parts, a triangle and a quadrilateral. The distance of 

 every part in the triangle from the southern boundary (and hence the easterly 

 tension) is greater than from the northerly one. The difference, too, increases 

 as we go northwards ; hence the lines of fracture wilt tend, to change from a 

 north-west and south-east into a north and south direction more and more as 

 we go further north. Similar reasoning will show that in the quadrilateral 

 the direction of the fissures will tend to become more and more nearly east and 

 west as we go towards its north-east corner. 



REMARKS ON THE BONE -CAVERNS OF CRAVEN. 



Br J. II. Burrow, Esq., B.A. 



The author said that the cave-remains before the meeting were found mainly 

 in Victoria and Doukerbottom caves, near Settle, Yorkshire. These caverns 

 are but two of a large number which occur in the mountain-limestone, and 

 more especially in the Lower Scar Limestone (of Phillips). They are of various 

 kinds, dry, wet, from a few yards in length to a mile, merely passages, or 

 scooped out into great chambers. Doukerbottom consists of two chambers, 

 with very long passages between them. Victoria Cave, which was discovered 

 by Mr. Jackson, of Settle, has in it four large chambers, close to each other, 

 and before the flooring of clay was washed in, probably forming one gigantic 

 apartment. The general section of the caves is : — First, from a foot to eight- 

 een inches of soil, in which are the bones of recent animals. Second, about 

 six inches of the ancient flooring of the cave, when it was inhabited by man : 

 in this were found all the antiquities which were discovered/ and the bones of 

 animals similar to those last mentioned. Third, dense stiff clay of very great 

 thickness, in which no antiquities and scarcely any bones were found. Fourth, 

 the original rocky floor of the cave, resting on which were bones differing in 

 colour, lightness, &c, from the others. The antiquities found in the second 

 stratum were flint implements, adze-heads of stone, sling-stones ; of bone — 

 arrow-heads, combs, and pins ; shells and wolf's teeth pierced for a necklace. 

 These were evidences that an uncivilized race had occupied the cave ; but 

 besides these were fibulae, armlets, and rings of bronze and iron ; and coins of 

 Roman emperors, from Nero to Constantine. The bones found were of recent 

 historic period, animals such as the wild boar and the wolf ; but with these 

 were other animals of prehistoric age, the cave-tiger and the cave-hysena, found 

 side by side with the antiquities ; and it has been argued that they are there- 

 fore contemporaneous with man. The author, however, showed that their 

 presence in such a position was accidental, and proved too much ; for, if these 

 bones were contemporary with the antiquities, they were also contemporary 

 with the coins, which come down to 400 a.d. — a time at which we are certain, 

 from history, there were no such animals in England. The present evidence 

 from these caverns of man's contemporaniety with such animals was not to be 

 trusted. 



