Page:The Zoologist, 3rd series, vol 1 (1877).djvu/397

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THE OSSIFEROUS CAVERNS OF DEVONSHIRE.
371

and that, where they did not reach the roof, deposits were covered with stalagmite. On the authority of Mr. Clift and Prof. Owen, Capt. Mudge mentions relics of Elephant, Rhinoceros, Horse, Ox, Sheep, Hyæna, Dog, Wolf, Fox, Bear, Hare, and Water Vole. The bones, and especially the teeth, of the Hyæna exceeded in number those of all the other animals, though remains of Horse and Ox were very abundant. Mr. Bellamy, whilst also mentioning all the foregoing forms, with the exception of Dog only, adds Deer, Pig, Glutton, Weasel, and Mouse. He also speaks of the abundance of bones and teeth of Hyæna, but seems to regard the Fox as being almost as fully represented; and next in order he places Horse, Deer, Sheep, and Rabbit or Hare; whilst the relics of Elephant, Wolf, Bear, Pig, and Glutton are spoken of as very rare. The bones, he says, were found in the uppermost bed only. They were frequently mere fragments and splinters, some being undoubtedly gnawed, and all had become very adherent through loss of their animal matter. Those of cylindrical form were without their extremities; there was no approach to anatomical juxtaposition; and the remains belonged to individuals of all ages. Reliquiæ of carnivorous animals greatly exceeded those of the Herbivora, and teeth were very abundant. Coprolites occurred at some depth below the stalagmite, in the upper bed, which also contained granitic and trappean pebbles, and lumps of breccia made up of fragments of rock, bones, pebbles, and stalagmite. The bones found prior to 1835 had been removed as rubbish, and some good specimens were recovered from materials employed in making a pathway. Nothing indicating the presence of man appears to have been found.

The Ash-Hole.—On the southern shore of Torbay, midway between the town of Brixham and Berry Head, and about half a mile from each, there is a cavern known as the "Ash-Hole." It was partially explored, probably about, or soon after, the time Mr. MacEnery was engaged in Kent's Hole, by the late Rev. H.F. Lyte, who, unfortunately, does not appear to have left any account of the results. The earliest mention of this cavern I have been able to find is a very brief one in Bellamy's 'Natural History of South Devon,' published in 1839 (p. 14). During the Plymouth Meeting in 1841, Mr. George Bartlett, a native of Brixham, who assisted Mr. Lyte, described in this Section the objects of interest the Ash-Hole had yielded (see Report Brit. Assoc. 1851, Trans.