little doubt that the skins of animals were used, and some of the stone implements seem well adapted to assist in their preparation, while the bone pins, and the needles made from the teeth of boars, may have served to fasten them together.
The Pottery of the Stone age presents nearly the same characters in all the settlements. Very rude and coarse, it is generally found in broken pieces, and few entire vessels have been obtained. The potter's wheel seems to have been unknown, and the baking was very imperfect. The form was frequently cylindrical, but several of the jars were rounded at the base, and without feet. The rings of pottery, which at a later epoch were used as stands for these earthen tumblers, are not found in the Lake habitations of the Stone period, but some of the vessels had small projections which were pierced in such a manner that strings might be passed through them, and the vessels might in this manner be suspended. Some of them were also pierced by small holes at different levels. Professor Heer suggests that these may have been used in the preparation of curds, the small holes being intended to permit the escape of the milk.
Seyeral of the vessels are ornamented with simple marking generally mere impressions of the finer or of the nail. Neither in the Stone, nor in the Bronze period, do we over find either in the pottery, or on the bronze weapons, any representation, however rude, of an animal; the ornamentation being generally confined to straight or curved lines, forming in many cases a very elegant ornament. One vase, however, which was found at Wangen, is distinguished by more elaborate ornaments, the lines being evidently intended to represent leaves.
The lakes on which Pileworks of the Stone era have as yet been found, are Constance, Zurich, Bienne, Neufchatel, Geneva, Inkwyl, Nussbaumen, Pfeffikon, Moosseedorf, and Wauwyl. Settlements of the Bronze period existed on the Lakes of Geneva, Luissel, Neufchatel, Morat, Bienne, and Sempach, but none have as yet been found on Lake Constance. It has been supposed from it that the age of Stone lasted longer in Eastern than in Western Switzerland, and that flint and serpentine were in use on Lake Constance long after Bronze had replaced them on the Western Lakes. We can hardly suppose that the inhabitants of Inkwyl and Moosseedorf in Berne, who imported flint from France, can have been ignorant of the neighbouring civilization on the Lake of Bienne. Perhaps, however, settlements of the Bronze age may yet be found on the Lake of Constance; but as the question now stands, Pileworks of the Metallic period are peculiar to Western and Central Switzerland. The constructions of the latter period are more solidly built, but do not otherwise appear to have differed materially from those of the Stone age. They are often, however, situated further from the land and in deeper water, partly no doubt on account of the greater facility of working timber, out partly also, perhaps, because more protection was needed as the means of attack were unproved. The principal implements of Bronze are, swords,
