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Show 8 one, even with the imperfect implements that must have been used, as the shale is for the most part soft and friable. A hard stratum served as a floor, and projecting in many places made a narrow platform by which the inhabitants were enabled to pass along from one house to another. Small fragments of mortar still adhered to the firmer parts of the walls, from which it is inferred that they were at one time plastered. It is also extremely probable that they were walled up in front and furnished with doors and windows, yet no fragment of wall has been preserved. Indeed, so great has been the erosion that many of the caves have been almost obliterated, and are now not deep enough to give shelter to a bird or bat. This circumstance should be considered in reference to its bearing upon the question of antiquity. If we suppose the recess to be destroyed is six feet deep, the entire cliff must recede that number of feet in order to accomplish it. If the rock were all of the friable quality of the middle part, this would indeed be the matter of a very few decades; but it should be remembered that the upper third of the cliff- face is composed of beds of comparatively hard rocks, sandstones, and indurated shal s. It should also be noted still further that at the base of the cliff there is an almost total absence of dtbris, or fallen rock, or even of an ordinary talus of earth, so that the period that has elapsed since these houses were deserted must equal the time taken to undermine and break down the six feet of solid rock, plus the time required to reduce this mass of rock to dust; considering also that the erosive agents are here unusually weak, the resulting period would certainly not be inconsiderable. Figure 2 gives a fair representation of the present appearance of these dwellings, while their relations to the group of ruins above will be understood by reference to figure 1. These ruins are three in number-one rectangular and two circular. The rectangular one, as indicated in the plan G, is placed on the edge of the mesa, over the more northern group of cave- dwellings; it is not of great importance, being only 34 by 40 feet, and scarcely 2 feet high; the walls are 1£ feet thick, and built of stone. The small tower B is situated on the brink of the cliff, directly above one of the principal groups of cave- houses. It is neatly built of stone, which, although not hewn, is so carefully chosen and adjusted to the curve that the wall is quite regular. That the stone was procured from the neighboring cliffs is indicated by the presence of great numbers of characteristic fossils. The wall is 18 inches thick and from 2 to 6 feet in height. Long lines of Mbrte, radiating from all sides, indicate that it has been much higher, and has but recently fallen. This tower is inclosed by a wall, also circular in form, but open toward the cliff, as seen in the drawing; the ends projecting forward and irregular and broken as if portions had fallen. Its construction is like that of the inner wall, but the height is not more than 3 feet at any point. The diameter of the inner circle is 12 feet, that of the outer 22 feet; the distance, therefore, between the walls is a little less than 4 feet. In this space, there are indications of partition- walls that have originally divided it into a number of apartments. About one hundred and fifty yards to the southwest of this ruin are the remains of another similar structure. It has been, however, ou a much grander scale. The walls are 26 inches thick, and indicate a diameter in the outer wall of about 140 feet. They are not above 4 feet high at any point, and in the parts toward the cliff can only be traced |