safe to suppose that, as the young of
ewes and mares were considered in special sections, so the young of
swine and of cows were taken up in succession. The whole series would
thus aim to cover that section of the animal kingdom that concerned man
most,--his own offspring, and the young of those animals by which he was
surrounded.

In these omens derived from the young of domestic animals, we are again
overwhelmed at the mass of contingencies included by the priests in
their compilations. Just as in the case of omens derived from infants,
so here the parts of the body are taken up one after the other. All
possible, and one is inclined to add various impossible, variations from
the normal types are noted. The omen varies as the female throws off
one, two, three, or whatever number of young ones up to ten. For
example:[645]

If among the sheep, five young ones are born, it is a sign of
devastation in the land. The owner of the sheep dies, and his
house is destroyed.

This is the omen in the case that the litter consists of five young
ones, all normal. But if anomalies occur, as, _e.g._,

If five young ones are born, one with a bull's head, one with a
lion's head, one with a dog's head, and one with a sheep's head,
there will be a series of devastations in the land.

Again,

If seven young are thrown off, three male and four female, that
man[646] will perish.

And so if eight are born, it is a bad sign for the king who, we are
told, "will be driven out of the country through sedition." The
variations are nigh endless.

If in the flock, young ones are thrown off with five legs, it is
a sign of distress in the land. The house of the man will perish
and his stalls will be swept away.

If the young ones have six legs, the population will decrease
and devastation will settle over the country.

Having finished with litters, the series proceeds to peculiar marks
found on single specimens; lambs that have a head and tail shaped like a
lion or that have a lion's head and a mane like that of an ass, or a
head like a bird's, or like a swine, and so through a long and rather
tiresome list.

Malformations in the shape or position of members of the animal,
particularly the mouth, ears, tongue, tail, and eyes, or the absence of
any one or of several of these parts were fraught with an importance
corresponding to these symptoms among new-born babes.

If a young one