WHITE CATTLE : AN INQUIRY INTO THEIR ORIGIN, ETC. 425 



" Long had they strove for the spotless bull that lowed on Golbun's 

 echoing heath;" and again, '-I went and divided the herd, one 

 snow white bull remained. I gave that bull to Cairbar." Here 

 two things are to be noted — first, a spotless bull was much desired; 

 and secondly, snow w^hite bulls were found in herds, not wild. 

 Much, I think, could be learnt from a study of old Irish or Celtic 

 texts. In the Irish epic of the Tain bo' Cuailgne, there is 

 recorded a contest between two bulls. One is the East Doun or 

 brow^n (dark) bull of terrific size and strength, and the other the 

 Finnbennach or white horned. The latter is described as — 



" An ox was this white-headed, white footed, 

 Savage, red, blood-red, 

 As though he were dyed in red, 

 As though he were bathed in blood, 

 As though he were rubbed in crimson." 



Again, in the Folk Lore Record for 1893 we read of a County 

 Tyrone tradition of a terrible wdld roan bull, called the " Roan 

 bull of Orange." In fact, as far as I am aware, none of these 

 traditional terrible bulls are ever stated to be w^hite in colour. 

 That my view of the use of white cattle is not a new one, I may 

 note that Dr. R. C. Maclagan, of Edinbnrgh, in sending me some 

 valuable notes (Appendix IV.), writes — " To explain my position, 

 I took the view which I see you favour, that white cattle were 

 kept for a religious purpose, and hoping some day to propose this 

 theory, I made some notes." 



As I have already mentioned the sacrificial instinct up to a 

 recent date has existed in this country. About 1864 we learn 

 that, in Morayshire, when a herd was attacked with murrain, 

 one of them w^as sacrificed by being buried alive as a propitiatory 

 offering. In Cornwall also, about 1800, farmers sacrificed living 

 animals to appease "the wrath of God." Forlong, in the Rivers 

 of Life, states that Sir James Simpson told the Society of 

 Antiquaries of Scotland in 1861 that he had personal knowledge 

 of a cow being burned alive within twenty miles of Edinburgh as 

 a sacrifice to the "field-deities." 



Another example of the old sacrificial custom is seen in the 

 custom of roasting w^hole, on a w^edding day, bullocks with gilt horns. 



The employment of white oxen seems to be common in 

 ceremonials in all parts of the w^orld. At the Great Ploughing 



