Oct., 1890. midland union of natural history societies. 223 
ornamentation of the pottery. One of the buried men—who 
were discovered in exactly the same position as that in which 
they had been interred—was found in a sitting posture, with 
his knees close to his chin—a form of burial characteristic of 
the age, and the others were in stooping positions of a similar 
kind. Around the skeleton to which he particularly alluded 
a sort of fender of stones had been constructed to protect the 
body. Another skull which they found was very thick. It 
belonged to a young man, whose teeth were in excellent 
preservation, but worn down, showing that they had done 
hard work. Probably he was a handsome young man, a 
“ masher ” of his day—perhaps that was why he had a thick 
skull. Some of the skulls, however, were quite thin. There 
was evidence that the cave had been used as a dwelling-place 
by the pre-historic men, in addition to being a burial place. 
There were remains of charcoal, showing there had been 
fires, and the bones of animals that had been eaten. 
The latter were similar to those found elsewhere among 
the remains of the Neolithic age. There were bones 
of the small cattle, like those now existing in Scotland, 
and also of the horse, of which the Neolithic men 
were very fond. Most of the animal bones had been split, 
for the marrow in them was considered a delicacv. Re- 
%> 
mains of pots were also discovered, and the pottery proved 
to be very rudely fashioned out of the clay that was in the 
cave. These relics had a great interest for him because he 
considered that the advance from the simple clay to the rude 
pots was a step of genius greater than that from the rude 
pots to the present-day artistic ware. They had carried 
their explorations below the flooring of the cave as they 
found it, and they had come across a layer of clay containing 
the bones of wild animals. Among them were those of the 
brown bear, the grisly bear—now extinct in Europe—and 
the Alpine hare. From the number of the bones of young 
bears he should think the cave must have been once a bear- 
den, and it was probable that there used to be a larger 
entrance to it lower down the hill. 
The second address was given by Mr. Egbert De Hamel, 
of Tam worth, the subject being “ Beavers.” It was most 
interesting, but unfortunately space is not available for an 
account of it in the present number. 
The Conversazione terminated about eleven o’clock. 
Fridav was devoted to excursions, of which an account 
will be given in the November number. 
