395 
1894 - 95 .] Dr K. Munro on Lake-dwelling Researeli. 
Shortly afterwards the celebrated naturalist, Gastaldi, in an article 
in II Nuovo Gimento, directed attention to certain antiquities which 
the turf-cutters were in the habit of finding in the “ Torbiera di 
Mercurago.” Subsequently, Gastaldi visited this locality and, along 
with Professor Moro of Arona, made further researches, the result 
of which was to leave no doubt that they had here to deal with 
the remains of a true palafitte. During the next two years 
Gastaldi’s report was considerably enlarged by additional finds at 
Mercurago ; hut nothing further of a definite character occurred 
till the summer of 1863, when Professors Desor and de Mortillet 
made a visit to Lombardy in search of lake-dwellings. 
These distinguished archaeologists were joined by Professor 
Stoppani of Milan, and the result of their labours was the speedy 
discovery of several settlements in Lake Yarese. The investiga- 
tions were energetically continued by Stoppani after the departure 
of his friends. Under the auspices of the Italian Society of Natural 
Sciences he made an exploratory tour of all the lakes in North 
Italy with encouraging results. In Lake Garda he found traces of 
palafittes in several places, particularly in the Gulf San Felice di 
Scavola, where some half-a-dozen sites were detected. 
Since these initiatory proceedings the number of sites of lake- 
dwellings in North Italy has greatly increased, there being now 
scarcely any of the smaller lakes and turbaries which have not 
yielded more or fewer remains of this character. They have not 
yet been found in the larger Lakes of Lombardy, a fact sufficiently 
accounted for by the physical conditions of these glaciated and 
rock-cut basins whose rapidly shelving shores afford but a scanty 
holding for piles. 
In addition to the ordinary palafittes there is, in the eastern part 
of the Po valley, another class of ancient habitations, known as 
Terremare^ which are so closely allied to the former that virtually 
they may be described as land palafittes. They are a later develop- 
ment of the lacustrine system, and, as soon as this relationship was 
recognised, their subsequent investigation became merged in that 
of the palafittes. Previous to this, however, the Terremare have a 
specially interesting history of their own which may now appro- 
priately be adverted to. 
Shortly after the middle of last century, certain artificial 
