| Description | Monthly report of the superintendents of excavation. They were still occupied with work in the Wolf's Den, as they broke into an additional tunnel which was filled with cave-earth. From this tunnel, they exhumed 'fine bones and older animal remains', including 162 teeth of hyena, and other common cave mammals. Exclusive of the material already examined by MacEnery, in December they found: teeth of hyena, horse, rhinoceros, megaceros, deer, bear, elephant, ox, lion, sheep, reindeer, fox, and badger; bones; portions of antler; two flakes of chert; and one flake of flint. They also found 'good specimens of coprolite'. They believe they have found the tools MacEnery used previously in the Wolf's Den, which include: two hammers, a small chisel, a small trowel, and a scraper. They wish to preserve them as mementos of 'him who first made the Cavern famous'.
On 30 December 1871, they completed work in the Wolf's Den, and left feeling disappointed: they had found no trace of the machairodus, 'the great object and hope of our search'. Among the human implements found in the broken ground, they found one of bronze - its size and form has been indicated in an outline tracing provided.
[Note: there is a mistake in the report. It refers to the previous report, number seventy-one, as dated December 9th 1872, but it is actually 1871]. |