POULTON : DOWKERBOTTOM CAVE. 
In the western division no clay appears on the surface and 
mechanical deposits are represented by fallen blocks only ; at the 
further end of the last chamber it seemed likely that the true 
mouth was very near, but blocked by stones and earth. We 
therefore began work from the inside, and found that the rounded 
limestone blocks which abruptly closed the chamber were very 
loosely imbedded and easily removed. We soon found that the 
roof was absent in front of us, ending in a vertical cliff. Fixing 
a bar across the passage for protection, we brought down the 
blocks and earth by means of a long pole, and gradually worked 
the hole upwards ; we then found the spot on the ground above, 
by listening for the sound of hammering below, and dug down- 
wards. After 3ft. of clayey soil there was an empty space caused 
by our working below. After clearing out the opening we found 
that the vertical face in which the roof ends is 20 ft. high. The 
side walls of the cave continue onwards as a ravine for about 
50 ft. to the slope, entirely filled with the loose mixture of earth 
and stones and only discernible on the ground above by its cover- 
ing of unbroken turf. There was not sufficient evidence to deter- 
mine whether this loose material was of glacial or alluvial origin, 
or whether the mouth was artificially closed by it. Future 
investigation must determine this by clearing out the ravine and 
working the cave from its true entrance. In this way all windlass 
work will be dispensed with, and many interesting questions 
settled. Just opposite the slope where the ravine must open and 
about 50 yds. distant, is a pot-hole in the lowest part of an exten- 
sive hollow. It is extremely likely that there was formerly a 
connection between this and the cave, by a passage, now denuded 
away. The cave would then have drained into the pot-hole ; 
and the stream on the eastern side is in this direction, although 
it stops short at the second chamber. This may be due to the 
gradual widening of a fissure by solution, but it is possible that 
the water from the cave still finds its way by a lower system of 
passages to the pot-hole. The same thing may be true of the 
