114 BONES OF ANIMALS FOUND IN TUMULI. 



The remains of mammals found with ancient human relics 

 have acquired greatly increased interest, since the admirable 

 researches of the Danish and Swiss zoologico-archaeologists, 

 and especially of Steenstrup and Kiitimeyer, by whose skilful 

 cross-examination much valuable and unexpected evidence 

 has been elicited, from materials of most unpromising ap- 

 pearance. Much, however, as we may regret, we cannot 

 wonder at the fact, that not only the earlier archaeologists, 

 but even Mr. Bateman himself, paid so little attention to the 

 non-human bones met with in their researches. It would be 

 very interesting to ascertain what animals were in a state of 

 domestication in Northern Europe during the Stone age : 

 some archaeologists, as, for instance, Professor Steenstrup, 

 believe the dog to have been at that period the only animal 

 domesticated; others, on the contrary, consider the cow, 

 sheep, pig, and goat, if not the horse, to have been at that 

 early period domesticated in the North. This appears to 

 have been the case in Switzerland, as far, at any rate, as 

 regards the cow. In the contents of British barrows, 

 " bones " of quadrupeds have been frequently observed ; 

 but it is difficult to form any opinion as to whether they 

 belonged to wild or tame individuals. 



As far, however, as the horse is concerned, we may pro- 

 bably assume that all the remains belong to a domesticated 

 race, for there is no reason to suppose that any wild horses 

 existed in Great Britain at a period so recent. I have 

 thought, therefore, that it might be of interest to point out 

 the class of graves in which bones or teeth of horses were 

 found. In Mr. Bateman's valuable works there are, alto- 

 gether, twenty-eight cases ; but of these, nine were in tumuli 

 which had been previously opened, and in one case no body 

 was found. Of the remaining eighteen, five were tumuli 

 containing iron, and seven were accompanied with bronze. 

 In one more case, that of the " Liffs," it is doubtful whether 



