152 GENERAL CHARACTER 



post-tertiary times with the mammoth, the rhinoceros ticho- 

 rhinus, the cave bear, and the fossil hyaena. 



"While, however, we must regard the fauna of the Stone 

 age as belonging to the same great zoological epoch with that 

 of the river drift gravels on the one hand, and the present 

 time on the other, we cannot forget that the immense period 

 which has elapsed since the end of the tertiary period has 

 produced great changes in the fauna of Europe. In this 

 post-tertiary era the Pileworks occupy, so to say, the middle 

 position. Distinguished from the present fauna of Switzer- 

 land by the possession of the urus, the bison, the elk, the 

 stag, and the wild boar, as well as by the more general dis- 

 tribution of the beaver, the bear, the ibex, etc., their fauna 

 differs from the drift gravels in the absence of the mammoth, 

 the rhinoceros, the cave bear, and the cave hyaena. 



Prof. Riitimeyer thinks that from these considerations 

 alone, even if we had no other evidence, we might carry this 

 division farther ; and if we take the settlements at Moossee- 

 dorf, Wauwyl, Robenhausen, and Nidau, which have been 

 the most carefully studied in this respect, the three former, 

 which belong to the Stone age, certainly offer a marked con- 

 trast to the latter, which is the locality whence the largest 

 number of bronze objects has as yet been obtained. 



It is of course unnecessary to point out the interest and 

 importance of such a distinction, which accords so well with 

 that indicated by the study of the weapons and the state of 

 preservation of the piles. Thus, the urus has only occurred 

 at Moosseedorf, Wauwyl, Robenhausen, and Concise; the 

 aurochs only at Wauwyl and Robenhausen ; the bear only 

 at Moosseedorf and Meilen. A glance at the table given at 

 page 167, will show that several other species have as yet 

 only occurred at Moosseedorf and Robenhausen ; a fact, how- 

 ever, which indicates rather the richness than the antiquity 

 of these localities. Possibly, we may consider the presence 



