A glance at the section of the well, which I have drawn as accurately as possible (not an easy thing to do when one is standing upon a rope ladder), will give an idea of the form of this strange pocket formed in the limestone of the mountain through the most complex dislocations and erosions.  Two lateral pockets attracted my attention because of the enormous quantity of clay and bones that obstructed them.  The first, to the left, was about 15 feet from the orifice.  When we had entirely emptied it, we found that it communicated with the bottom of the well by a narrow passage.  An entire skeleton of the great cave bear had stopped up this narrow passage, and of this, by the aid of a small ladder, we gathered the greater part of the skeleton, the state of preservation of which was remarkable.

The second pocket, which was almost completely filled with clay, and situated a little lower than the other, likewise communicated with a third cavity that reached the bottom of the well.  The clay of these different pockets contained so large a quantity of bones that we could hardly use our picks, and the excavation had to be performed with very short hooks, and often by hand.  In this way I was enabled to remove the bones without accident.  The lower pocket was dug out first, and with extreme care, the bones being hoisted out by means of a basket attached to a rope.  Three or four candles sufficed to give us light.  The air was heavy and very warm, and, after staying in it for two hours, it was necessary to come to the surface to breathe.  After extracting the bones from the lower pocket, and when no more clay remained, we successively dug out the upper ones and threw the earth to the bottom of the well.

On the 20th of December, 1884, my excavating was finished.  To-day the Oubliettes of Gargas are obstructed with the clay that it was impossible to carry elsewhere.  The animals that I thus collected in the well were the following:  The great bear (in abundance), the little bear (a variety of the preceding), the hyena, and the wolf.  The pockets contained nearly entire skeletons of these species.  How had the animals been able to penetrate this well?  It is difficult to admit that it was through the aperture that I have mentioned.  I endeavored to ascertain whether there was not another communication with the Gargas grotto, and had the satisfaction of finding a fissure that ended in the cave, and that probably was wider at the epoch at which the place served as a lair for the bear and hyena.

Very old individuals and other adults, and very young animals, were living in the grotto, and, being surprised, without power to save themselves, by a sudden inundation, reached the bottom of the well that we have described.  The entire remains of these animals were carried along by the water and deposited in the pockets in the rock.  Once buried in the argillaceous mud, the bones no longer underwent the action of the running water, and their preservation was thence secured.—­F.  Regnault, in La Nature.