2S4 Prof. Buckland On the Caves at Kirby Moor side ^ 
ous depths on the landing-places I have just mentioned : the 
bones lay loose and naked on the actual spots on which the ani- 
mals had died, and to which they had probably fallen when pas- 
sing carelessly along the surface of the Park above ; they were 
neither broken, nor buried in loam, nor intrusted with stalag- 
mite, as at Kirkdale, but simply stripped of their flesh ; they 
are not. adherent to the tongue when fractured, but retain much 
more animal matter, and are in all respects more fresh and re- 
cent, than those which occur at Kirkdale entombed beneath the 
loam. 
“ In a geological point of view, the occurrence of these bones, 
under the circumstances above described, is important, as illus- 
trating the manner in which the bones of antediluvian animals 
may have been accumulated by falling into similar fissures, 
which are now filled up with diluvial mud and pebbles ; for if 
fissures ^existed (as they undoubtedly did) on the antediluvian 
face of the earth in much greater abundance than since that 
grand aqueous revolution, which has entirely filled up so many 
of them with its detritus, there is no reason why the then existing 
animals should not have fallen into them and perished, as mo- 
dern animals do in the comparatively few cavities that remain 
still open in our limestone districts : and when we consider that 
it is the habit of graminivorous animals to be constantly tra- 
versing the surface of the ground in every direction in pur- 
suit of food, it is obvious that they are subject in a greater de- 
gree than those which are carnivorous to the perpetual danger 
of falling into any fissure or imperfectly closed chasm that may 
lie in their way ; and in this circumstance we see an explanation 
of the comparatively rare occurrence of the remains of beasts of 
prey in the osseous breccia of the antediluvian fissures, although 
they also occasionally perished in'' them, as the dogs do at this 
day in the open fissure at Duncombe Park.’ 1 
The caves now mentioned by our author are : 
1. The Cave at Hutton in the Mendip Hills. 
% The Cave at Derdham Downs, near Clifton, 
3. The Cave at Bailey, near Wirksworth. 
4. The Dream Cave, near Wirksworth. 
g. Three sets of Caves near Plymouth. 
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