Hidden away and mysterious, with beautiful reverb in it’s belly. We visited the first two chambers that aparently connect with more deeper on (but need to pass through deeper water so I was not prepared to do that with my MixPre Sound Devices. That would need more planning... In future, I will bring the hydraphones with.

Still, the reverb is audible from deeper on. This is by far the acoustically most exciting cave I have visited so far.

Aparently, 2 crouched human burials and other human remains were found here, Neolithic or Bronze Age flints, bone combs, Romano-British pottery, coins, brooches, as well as the bones of various animals including red deer, bear, horse and dog.

“In an exploration in the west chamber, about four yards from the spot where the skeleton of the red deer was discovered on the former occasion, and on the same level, a slight hollow or grave was disclosed, which had been dug in the bed of hard stalagmite, measuring 1 foot long, 8 inches in width, and 1.5 inches in depth, in which were the remains of the skeleton of a child of probably 2.5 years of age. It was in a very imperfect and fragile condition, arising, doubtless, from the immature condition of the bones; the teeth are good, but the elementary portions of the skull were all disunited, and, from the adhesive nature of the bones when applied to the tongue, the animal matter has been nearly all destroyed. The himian bones were covered by a deposit of softer stalagmite, 2 feet 6 inches in thickness, in which occurred several shells of the helix nemoralis, in a perfect condition, but much faded in colour; after which again occurred jaws of the primitive dog and fox; teeth of the ox and deer; clay, and fragments of pottery and charcoal. But as a doubt might still be attached to the most important part of the discovery—that of the human remains —as it might be inferred that their position was not conclusive of an earlier residence, but might have been interred at that depth for security, by its Romano-British parents, when occupying the upper and last deposit, I made particular inquiry of Mr. Hodgson, of Settle (an experienced and intelligent explorer of the caves, and who superintended Mr. Farrer's excavations), as to whether there was any indication whatever of a mixture of deposits or materials at this precise spot, which must have occurred if the grave had been sunk through the upper beds of clay, rubbish, and charcoal, and he distinctly says, " The softer stalagmite had never been stirred or moved since its formation,"—a point upon which a mistake could not easily be made, as the colour of the stalagmite, I know from experience, is uniform and pale.”

FURTHER EXPLORATION IN THE DOWKERBOTTOM CAVES, IN CRAVEN. BY JAMES FARRER, ESQ., M.P., OF INGLEBOROUGH HOUSE; WITH REMARKS BY HENRY DENNY, A.L.S., &C.