In the spring of 1862 Mr. Parker, Mr. Willett, and myself resolved to verify the association of articles of man’s handiwork along with the extinct mammalia, by cleaning out the cave, which was courteously placed at our disposal by the owner, Mr. Hodgekinson. Our first task was to clear the contents out of the portion of the cave nearest the mouth, or the antrum (Fig. 83, A), and as we excavated onwards many traces of the presence of man were met with. A wide area on the left-hand side (_b_), where the roof and floor of the cave gradually met together, furnished innumerable fragments of charcoal, and many flint implements associated with the remains of the horse, rhinoceros, and hyæna. One fragment of bone in particular, belonging to the rhinoceros, had been calcined, and its carbonized condition bore unmistakeable testimony that it had been burnt while the animal juices were present. There were many other bones also burnt, which indicated the place where fires had been kindled, and food cooked. As we dug our way forward we met with a third area (_c_), that furnished flint and chert implements under the same conditions of deposit as that which tempted us to carry on our excavations. Its relation to the old floors of hyæna-occupation is shown by the dark lines over the area _c_ in Fig. 88. At last the large open chamber (A) was cleared; it measured about thirty feet wide by six feet high, and it extended forty feet inwards. On the left there was a small upward-turning passage, very nearly blocked up with a mass of stalagmite; at the farther end a vertical fissure extended upwards (F), to the surface. This fissure has subsequently been proved to extend downwards to the right, and will doubtless furnish large quantities of animal remains to future explorers. [Illustration: FIG. 88.--Section through A of Fig. 83, showing contents of Hyæna-den. _c_ = flint implements; thick lines above = old floors.] [Illustration: FIG. 89.--Transverse Section through B of Fig. 83. 1 = red earth; 2 = bone-bed; 3 = dark earth.]