POULTON : DOWK ETC BOTTOM CAVE, 
indicate the age of the layer, and prove it to be of the same date 
as the historic layers in the Victoria Cave. As bearing upon at- 
tempts to fix dates by comparing thicknesses of talus, it is interest- 
ing to note that the Victoria Cave layer of this age was covered by 
a slight thickness of talus derived from the weathering of a lofty 
cliff freely exposed to the air, while in exactly the same time the 
Dowkerbottom talus had reached a thickness of 10 ft. from the 
weathering of a very small surface of comparatively protected 
rock. No doubt the difference is exaggerated by the restricted 
space with a tolerably level floor into which the talus fell in the 
latter instance. 
A great many bones were found in the talus itself, among 
which the Red Deer and Boar are conspicuous. 
The second chamber I have already mentioned as little 
worked, and we determined to begin here. The first passage 
was blasted to allow the ready transit of barrows from the second 
chamber to the foot of the windlass. The chamber itself was 
marked off into parallels at right angles with a datum line, and 
these again were divided into squares by lines parallel with the 
datum line. The lines in both these sets were 1 yd. apart (see 
Fig. ii, Ground plan of Chamber). As all previous work had been 
at the sides, and was not likely to lead to results typical of the 
whole chamber, I determined to sink a shaft in the very centre. 
The result is that the section obtained, entirely differs from those 
drawn by previous explorers. On many parts of the surface is 
a layer from one to nine inches thick, of a blackish earth, containing 
pottery, bones, and in some cases metal implements. This is the 
historic layer and corresponds with that in the first chamber in its 
remains, although it is apparently developed to a less extent. In 
one place, very nearly in the centre of the cave (in parallel J, 
Square 5, Fig. ii) the layer is let down into a circular pit 
about 1 yd. across, and certainly dug by the men who lived at 
the time when the layer was being formed. The pit is about 
4 ft, deep and its sides are quite smooth and sharply demarcated 
