292 ANNUAL RECORD OF SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY. 



well known. The author examines into the use of the baton 

 among these ancient nations, and gives abundant references 

 to authorities. 



SKELETONS OF PILE-DAVELLING INHABITA:NTS. 



Notwithstanding the immense number of remains of pre- 

 historic villages and dwellings built on piles in the marshes 

 and lakes of Central Europe, very little is known of the 

 osteology of the builders, the burial-places having almost 

 entirely escaped a very careful and critical search. The 

 suggestion of the practice of cremation is met by the ab- 

 sence of charred bones, which would necessarily have been 

 preserved to some extent ; and immersion of the bodies in 

 the water is disproved by the absence of any portion of the 

 skeleton in the mud of the vicinity. 



A discovery, however, has lately been made in the vicin- 

 ity of one of these localities in Switzerland of a grave, 

 which probably contains the members of a particular family. 

 Here two large granite slabs were found, covering a cham- 

 ber walled around by large vertical stone plates, and in the 

 inclosure thus formed were found the remains of from ten to 

 fifteen skeletons. Two skulls were in good condition ; the 

 others were fragmentary. The crania were found in the 

 corners of the room, while the long bones were heaped up 

 toward the middle. With these were found several per- 

 forated teeth of wild animals, a well-made axe of serpen- 

 tine, bronze pins, four armlets of copper, and a bronze but- 

 ton. 7 C\ III, 190. 



NEW HYPOTHESIS IN EEGAED TO SWISS LAKE-DWELLINGS. 



Anew hypothesis in regard to the lake-dwellings of Switz- 

 erland has lately been suggested to Dr. Robert by a lad 3^, 

 whose name he does not give. In her opinion, all or nearly 

 all of these lake-dwellings were originally established in 

 marshes or boggy places, selected, perhaps, on account of 

 the comparative absence of large trees ; and at this period 

 the lakes were much extended, and much more shallow than 

 at the present day. In the course of time, however, from 

 various conditions, the level of these lakes became raised, 

 and the places in which the dwellings had been established 

 became filled with water, so as possibly either to drive out 



