ARCHEOLOGY. 363 



quantity of indifferent surfaces. On domestic animals the bony sub- 

 stance appears — if the expression may be allowed — more soft, spongy, 

 and yielding to plastic impressions. We cannot doubt, says Dr. 

 Riitimeyer, that the new relations of life following the domestication 

 of animals causes a weakening of all the energies of the system, by 

 increased nourishment, and lessened exercise, and additional fattening. 

 These are the results, not of centuries, but of much shorter spaces of 

 time. 



It is not to be wondered at if we find the remains of the bear, the 

 badger, the stone marten, the tree marten, the pole-cat, the ermine, the 

 otter, the wolf, the wildcat, the hedgehog, the squirrel, and the wood- 

 mouse; for all these animals inhabit the country even now. It is very 

 remarkable, however, that the fox, during the palisade age, was much 

 smaller than he is now, attaining then only in few cases the average 

 size of what it is at present. Since the ancient times this species has 

 grown one-third larger. The dimensions of animals are thus change- 

 able ; but this instance must be considered in connexion with others 

 to be mentioned, in which the size has been considerably diminished. 



Of the common rat no traces were found, and we know that this 

 animal immigrated into Europe as late as the middle age ; the Asiatic 

 wandering rat is also absent; therefore during the stone era no mam- 

 mal vermin infested the palisade settlements. 



Of the hare only one single relic has been discovered, and we may 

 with some propriety conclude that among those ancient people the 

 eating of this animal was prohibited. 



At the time of the palisade buildings the beaver still existed in 

 Switzerland, and maintained itself up to 1846 in the river Leeh. It 

 was even found in 1857 at the mouth of this river. If this interest- 

 ing rodent could have been protected by state laws, its existence would 

 have been extended a few generations more. The beavers would, 

 however, have died out, for these harmless animals can only exist in 

 complete solitude. How large the distribution of beavers must have 

 been in Bavaria is shown by the fact of the existence of sixty chro- 

 nographical names which are combined with the word beaver. 



During the palisade era, three races of swine (Siis scrofa, L.) were 

 in existence, viz : the domesticated, {S. sc. do7nesticns,) the same in a 

 wild state, {S. sc. ferns,) and the turf hog, (aS'. sc. palustris.) The lat- 

 ter race was then found wild and also domesticated, but ceased to 

 exist in its former state during the historical time. 



The ancient wild hogs were distinguished from their present de- 

 scendants by a much superior size, and generally by the more promi- 

 nent characters by which they are distinguished from the domestic 

 hog. 



The characteristic of the turf hog as a distinct race lies in the teeth, 

 especially in the eyeteeth and also the tusks. The latter are much 

 smaller than those of the domestic and the common wild hog ; they 

 also remain three-edged when old, while those of its congeners 

 become gradually cylindric. The turf hog still exists in several val- 

 leys of Rhatia and Granbiinden. 



The stag, (Cervus elcqohus,) now extinct within the limits of the 



