GIBB — ON CANADIAN CAVERNS. 
177 
throuQ;1i tho new settlements of the lower province in 1824. It is 
situated in tlic township of Kildaro, about thirty-five miles due north 
of the city of Montreal, but tho precise locality I have been unable 
to determine, although from the description it may be close to the 
village of the same name. The southern half of the township is tra- 
versed by a broad band of the Potsdam sandstone, in continuation of 
the same rock running in a north-east direction from the south- 
western part of the township of Rawdon. That part of Kildare north 
. of this band is composed of gneiss of the Laurentian system, most 
probably interstratiiied with some bands of oystalline limestone, in 
which the cavern is developed. 
It was about the year 1822 that two young Canadian peasants, 
whilst prosecuting their sport of hunting the wild cat, pui'sued two 
of their game, until entering an obscure hole a little above the bank 
of the river, they lost sight of them. The more enterprising of the 
two attempted to enter the aperture in the I'ock, at that time barely 
sufficient to admit of his crawling into it, but without success. Pro- 
viding themselves with lights, a second attempt was more successful, 
for " not only did they secm-e their prey (of which they have presei-ved 
the skin to this day), but they discovered," says Colonel Bouchette, 
" another of the many phenomena of nature, a description of which 
cannot be uninteresting." 
The foUowinor account is given in the Colonel's words 
" I descended into the cavern by means of a trap-door, which has 
recently been placed at one of its angles for the facility and con- 
venience of strangers desirous of visiting this singular spot, having 
as my guides two of the inhabitants of the neighbonring house, bear- 
ing lighted tapers. The height of the cave where we entered is five 
feet, from which angle branch off two caves, the lesser whereof is of 
the following dimensions : — 
Length 25 feet. 
Breadth varying from 2^ to 9 „ 
Height 5 „ 
It bears about a south-east course from the entrance. 
The other has in length 70 feet 
Width. from 7 to 8 „ 
Height, gradually increasing 5 to 13 „ 
" The increase in the loftiness of the cave originates from the 
declivity of the ground part, which, at the north-eastern extremity, 
is at least twenty-three feet from the surface. It forms nearly a 
right angle with the fii'st, at its south-western end, and an angle 
scarcely obtuse at the other with another cave, whose 
Length is 80 feet 
Average width 6 „ 
Height 5 „ 
vol,. HI. z 
