the Mediterranean naturalist 
205 
overhanging ledge of rock and were exposed on 
the destruction of this rock. 
A great many other interesting objects were 
found along with the skeletons. Each of them 
had a necklace round the neck. One of these was 
formed of the shells of a species of JVassa, another 
consisted of the canine teeth of a kind of stag 
drilled with holes and strung together, while the 
third was made out of vertebrae of a fish of the 
genus Sal mo. Both the teeth and the vertebrae 
were of the same brick-red colour as the bones. 
On the legs were found two cowrie shells 
( Cyproea ) one being placed just above the in- 
step. But perhaps the most remarkable objects 
of all were some hour-glass shaped bodies fa- 
shioned out of stags’ horn. Perhaps their form 
might be more accurately likened to two eggs 
cemented together by their ends. The length of one 
of these objects has been stated by M. Riviere in 
his report as 39.G centimetres but this is certainly 
a gross exaggeration, possibly 3.9G centimetres was 
intended. Their surfaces were engraved with fine 
parallel nearly equidistant grooves or scratches 
running longitudinally from end to end. I have 
heard no suggestion as to the use of these objects. 
The present remains undoubtedly belong to the 
neolithic or later stone ages as the Hints and 
ornaments abundantly testify. Whether M. Bon- 
fils is justified in his surmise that the “nouvel 
homme” of 18S4 belonged to the palaeolithic era 
is a matter which we cannot discuss here. It was 
certainly found at a much greater depth than any 
of the others. Small flint implements are found 
distributed throughout the soil forming the floor 
of the caves in such abundance that M. Bonfils 
has built a trophy of them to commemorate the 
visit of the French Association for the Advance- 
ment of Science to his museum. 
Shortly after our visit the cave was closed and 
the skeletons were removed pending a lawsuit in 
which they literally became a bone of contention, 
the ouarryman, M. Riviere, the Prince of Monaco 
and the Italian Government all laying claim to 
the “treasure trove.” It is to be hoped that 
the proceedings will result in a thorough and 
searching exploration of the caves, and that, should 
any further remains be found, they will not be at 
the mercy of unintelligent quarrymen but will be 
Carefully tended and preserved. 
The Phosphate Beds of the Maltese Islands 
and their possibilities 
by John H. Cooke, F. G. S. 
The recent discovery of phosphate beds that has 
been made in the Maltese Islands has been attract- 
ing considerable attention, in both scientific and 
commercial circles, and since a general sketch 
only of the beds has yet been published, the 
following details bearing on the subject may not 
be without some interest to those who are con- 
nected with the phosphate industry in other parts 
of the globe. 
The Maltese group, consisting of the islands of 
Malta, Gozo and Cominc, and of of several smaller 
islets is situated in the Central Mediterranean at 
a distance of 60 miles to the north of Cape 
Calipia the nearest point in Africa. 
On the north it is connected with Sicily by 
means of a sub-aqueous plateau, the depth of 
submergence of which does not exceed 70 fathoms 
in any part; while to the south a deep channel 
having an average depth of 530 fathoms, and 
which is 190 miles long and from 60 to 600 miles 
wide forms a well defined natural boundary 
between it and Africa. 
Malta is the principal island of the group both 
in size and commercial importance, its area being 
95 square miles while that of Gozo is but 21 
square miles. Gozo is, however, more fertile, a 
fact that it is attributable to the greater diversity 
that exists in its surface contour whereby the 
numerous phosphatic nodule seams that are in- 
terstratified with its rocks, are exposed along 
the slopes of most of the hills and valleys through- 
out the island. 
The soil is thus kept in a high state of fertility, 
for, as it is indigenous to the islands and is still 
being added to by the degradation of the rocks 
rocks around, the phosphate of lime which is found 
in comparatively high proportions in many parts of 
the beds is constantly being incorporated with it. 
The topographical aspect of Gozo and of the 
western half of Malta is that of a series of pla- 
teaux, and flat topped conical hills that rise to an 
average height of 550 feet above the sea level, and 
that expose around their sides either clean cut 
vertical sections, or softly rounded taluses of their 
various strata. 
