THE OYSTER-INDUSTRY. 15 



All of tliese ir.olliisks are still used for food; besides tbem, various other sea- and laud shells occur in small 

 quantities. Sir John Lubbock points out that the shells of nearly all these mollusks average of far larger size 

 than they arc ever known to attain off those coasts at the present day ; while the oyster has entirely disappeared, 

 and even in the Kattegat itself occurs only in a few places. " Some oysters were, however, still living at Iselfjord 

 at the beginning of this century, and their destnu-tion cannot be altogether ascribed to the fishermen, as great 

 numbers of dead shells are still present; but in this case it is attributed to the abundance of starfishes, which are 

 very destructive to oysters. On the Mhole, their disappearance, especially when taken in connection with the 

 dwarf size of the other species, is evidently attributable in a great measure to the smaller proportion of salt in the 

 water." The lack of saltness alluded to arises from the fact, that the elevation of the shores and bottom of the 

 Kattegat has been so great as to admit only a little of the tide, while an increased quantity of fresh water flows in. 



Besides these mollusk-shells, the remains of fishes, quadrupeds, and birds are very numerous and highly 

 interesting. Professor Steenstrup, who has paid great attention to this matter, estimated that the mound at 

 Havelse contained from ten to twelve bones in every cubic foot. 



Of the fishes, the most common are the herring, the dorse (a kind of cod), the dab (a kind of flounder), and the 

 eel. Among the bones of birds there have been recognized skeletons of the cajiercailzie (a very large grouse), the 

 "wild swan, various ducks and geese, and of the great auk, Alea impennis, whose bones fill our American mounds 

 also, and which has now become extinct. 



The mammals are represented in the mounds by the stag, the roe-deer, and the wild boar, for the most part — 

 97 per cent, according to Professor Steeustruxi. Besides these, bones of the buffalo, dog, fox, wolf, marten, otter, 

 porpoise, seal, water-vole, beaver, lynx, wild-eat, hedgehog, bear, and mouse. Such domestic animals as the ox, elk, 

 reindeer, hare, sheep, and hog are absent. The dog was probably kept to be eaten ; or at least it is certain that he 

 became an article of food on occasions. 



The bones, little and big, are all badly crushed and broken, and all in the same way, so that the parts missing 

 in one skeleton will exactly coincide with those in all the rest, if they could be got together. The long bones of the 

 arms and legs, for example, are all split open in the manner best adapted for the extraction of the marrow, 

 " which is in itself satisfactory jiroof of the presence of man." 



The flint and stone implements dug up from these shell-heaps are very numerous, but show little skill. "A 

 very few carefully formed weapons have been found," says Sir John Lubbock, "but the implements generally are 

 very rude. Small pieces of very coarse pottery have also been discovered, and many of the bones from the 

 kjiikkcnmoddings bear evident marks of a sharp instrument: several of the jjieces found by us were in this condition, 

 and had been fashioned into rude pins." Sir John continues : 



"The kjokkenmoddings were not mere summer-quarters; the ancient fishermen resided on these spots for at 

 least two-thirds, if not the whole, year. This we learn from an examination of the bones of the wild animals, as it 

 is often possible to determine within very narrow limits the time of year at which they were killed. For instance, 

 the remains of the v. ild swan, Cygnus musicus, are very common, and this bird is only a winter visitor, leaving 

 Danish coasts in March and returning in November. It might naturally have been hoped that the remains of 

 young birds would have supplied evidence as to the spring and early summer, but, unfortunately, as has already 

 been explained, no such bones are to be found. It is therefore fortunate that among the mammalia two periodical 

 lihenomena occur, namely, the shedding and reproduction of stags' antlers, which, with slight variations according 

 to age, have a fixed season; and, secondly, the birth and growth of the young. These and similar phenomena 

 render it highly probable that the 'mound-builders' resided on the Danish coast all the year round, though I am 

 disposed to think that, like the Fuegians, who lead even now a very similar life, they frequently moved from spot to 

 spot. This appears to me to be indicated not only by the condition of the deserted hearths, but by the color of the 

 flint flakes, etc.; for, while many of these retain the usual dull, bluish-black color which is characteristic of newly- 

 broken flints, and which remains unaltered as long as they are surrounded by carbonate of lime, others are 

 whitened, as is usual with those which have been exposed for any length of time. Perhaps, therefore, these were 

 lying on the surface during some period of desertion, and covered over only when the place was again inhabited. 



"Much as still remains to be made out respecting the men of the Stone period, the facts already ascertained, like 

 a few strokes by a clever draughtsman, supply us with the elements of an outline sketch. Carrying our imagination 

 back into the past, we see before us on the low shores of the Danish archipelago a race of small men, with heavy, 

 overhanging brows, round heads, and faces probably much like those of the present Laplanders. As they must 

 evidently have had some ]irotection from the weather,' it is most probable that they lived in tents made of skins. 

 The total absence of metal in the kjokkenmoddings indicates that they had not yet any weapons except those 

 made of wood, stone, horn, and bone. Their principal food must have consisted of shellfish, but they were able to 

 catch fish, and often varied their diet l)y game caught in hunting. It is perhaps not uncharitable to conclude that 

 when their hunters were successful, the whole community gorged itself with food, as is the case with many savage 

 races at the present time. It is evident that marrow was considered a great delicacy, for every single bone which 

 contained any was split open in tiie manner best adapted to extract the precious morsel." 



We have already seen that these mound-buililers were regular settlers and not mere summer-visitors, ami, on 



