File:The Quarterly journal of the Geological Society of London (12645765045).jpg

1863..
DAWKINS HY.ENA-DEN NEAR WELLS.
265
long, had reached the floor and formed a vertical bar, as if to forbid
further ingress. The last portion of this branch, for a distance of
about 6 feet, was perfectly free from sediment, and was covered
here and there with stalagmitic crusts.
4. The Passage D. — Having explored C as far as we could crawl,
we commenced clearing out D, and discovered a third layer of or-
ganic remains presenting the same section as the former bone -beds,
except that the dark layer was absent in places, and the bone-bed
was in immediate contact with the roof, Besides an enormous
quantity of bones, it yielded 45 jaws and 120 teeth, It occupied
the whole of the width of D, and its edge rested on the floor of the
eastern side. Its average width w r as 6 feet, its length 14 feet ; and
its square area was, therefore, 84 feet (see figs. 1 and 7).
Fig. 7. — Longitudinal Section of the Fig. 8. — Transverse Section in
Passage D. the Vertical Passage E.
/. Sand. d. Grey clay.
For the explanation of the other symbols see Figs. 2-6.
As we approached the further end of the bone-bed, the red earth
became of a paler hue and of greater tenacity; the stones also be-
came larger, and the organic remains more rare. At its further edge
was a layer of fine sand (/, fig. 7), 4 inches in thickness, underlying
grey clay (d), full of large stones,' and containing a few large bones.
This latter extended completely up to the roof (see fig. 7), and was
20 inches in thickness.
5. The Vertical Passage E. — From this point up to the vertical
passage E (see fig. 7), a distance of 4 feet, there was not the slightest
vestige of bones or teeth. The stiff grey clay (d, fig. 8) rested upon
the horizontal layer of sand on the floor of the cave (f). In the
former a most beautifully polished piece of chert from the Mountain-
limestone was found, which, as its surface is very irregular, appears
to owe its polish to friction upon some soft substance. Dr. Buckland
would have called it a rubbing-stone*. In the latter, also, there
were numerous angular pieces of chert from the Mountain -limestone,
associated with peroxide of manganese. The vertical passage took
the form of a vault (fig. 7), 6 feet in height and 4 in width, and was
represented overhead by an opening, 1 square foot in extent. Here
our exploration ended.

• In the bears' dens of Zahnloch and G-ailenreuth similar traces of polishing
  

were found, which Dr. Buckland assigns, without hesitation, " to the skin and