THE ROYAL ARTILLERY INSTITUTION. 
299 
and from 4 to 10 inches long. Imbedded in the clay at the bottom of the 
fissure were found bones of birds, fish, marine shells, flints, &c. At the 
lowest depth of the cave 200 ft. below the surface, or about 200 ft. above 
the sea level, a current of air can be felt ascending through the fissure, the 
temperature indicated by the thermometer, here, was 66° Eah., on the 
21st August 1868, in the cave, that outside being 78° Eah. 
Human (in shade). Human remains were found scattered about in all 
iUUlU! ‘ directions, very few whole, much less an entire skeleton, some 
stained a bluish black colour, also animal remains petrified, and otherwise, 
as well as stone implements, arrow heads, anklets, querns, and pottery, the 
latter are rudely made, unburnished and formed without the aid of the 
potter's wheel; some land and marine shells were found adhering to the 
sides of the cave as in life, others incrusted with stalagmite, also waterworn 
pebbles of sandstone, and limestone. The extent of the cave in a S.W. 
direction is about 350 ft. and in a vertical one 220 ft. below the surface; 
hereabouts there is a large cave the height of which was found to be about 
80 ft., near which was seen a large stalagmite column 7 ft. in circumference, 
and 9 ft. in height, with a crack running throughout which probably 
occurred at the time of displacement. We see therefore that 
^ve^iiow called “ Genista* Cave " consists of a set of interesting .and 
Genista Cave, ramified vertical fissures, that the principal fissure situated 
below the intended tank of the prison, consists of four super¬ 
imposed chambers, connected by vertical passages, to a depth of about 
220 ft., that the passages were for the most part, filled with ossiferous 
deposit, though the fossil remains predominate near the surface as “ osseous 
breccia" imbedded in ochreous earth, “ having regard to the large number 
of human bones and quantity of pottery exhumed from the upper chambers 
on the alternate supposition of its having either been inhabited by savage 
man, or a place of sepulture, that no adequate means of access to it by a 
surface entrance has yet been detected," and that the displacement of the 
large stalagmite pillar, shows that some violent disturbance has taken place 
in the cave, at a late period in its history, (specimens Nos. 11, 17, 18, and 
19, come from this cave). 
Professor Busk, and the late lamented Dr Ealconer, upon examining the 
bones sent to them, determined upwards of 20 species of mammals, belonging 
to the Bhinoceros, Equus, Sus, Bos, Ibex, Capra, Cervus, Lepus, Mus, Eelis, 
Hyaena, Canis, Ursus, Meles, Phosccena, some extinct and others now living, 
besides birds and fish; many skulls of ibex, “in one case," said Dr Ealconer, 
“we have been enabled to re-unite the fragments and detached upper 
epiphisis into the perfect tibia of a rhinoceros." The bones, or broken 
fragments of bones are rarely in contact, being separated by the interposition 
of more or less of the indurated reddish mud, so highly impregnated with 
iron, many of the bones are covered with dendrites, and other evident traces 
of manganese are found, some have the appearance of being scorched by fire, 
many of being bleached bv the sun, the bones evidently belong to the 
pliocene and present periods, no trace of miocene deposits are anywhere 
found on “ the Bock." 
* So called after its finder Genista, being the Linneal appellation for Broom. 
