Abstract
CATTERED pasture lands and long, discontinuous slopes where herds and flocks may browse and graze over wide range, both areally and vertically, impose upon the folk of such a high rugged land as Switzerland, a high degree of movement that approaches nomadism through much of the year. Montane Switzerland has long been characterized by such quasi-nomadic pastoral economy. Ruins of ancient huts, antedating the beginnings of Swiss history, and occupying high elevations in many of the valleys indicate exceedingly remote origins for the utilization of the alps. Lack of cooking utensils and other equipment for permanent occupancy suggests that the huts served only as temporary residences, in much the same way as similar huts are employed today by the folk who take their sheep, and goats and cattle onto the mountain heights and meadows for the nutritious summer browse and pasturage. After many centuries, transhumance continues to dominate the economy of many valleys.
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