EVOLUTION AND DEGENERATION OF INSTITUTIONS 103 



3. The alienation of all or part of the allot- 



ments assigned to the families and the 

 constitution of agricultural communes no 

 longer necessarily consisting exclusively 

 of persons akin. 



4. The periodical division of land, which, as the 



population increased, was instituted with a 

 view to re-establishing an equal distribu- 

 tion. This system of division, which was 

 established gradually, only dealt with the 

 more valuable sort of land, such as meadows 

 and arable land. The forest land and pas- 

 turage, that at least which was not already 

 annexed by the Lords of the Manor, was 

 free to all. 



This transformation of family communities into 

 village communities was not effected without 

 accompanying degeneration. The administrative 

 institutions of the family group disappeared, and 

 the rights of pre-emption in favour of blood rela- 

 tions were gradually replaced by village rights. 

 The importance of the family, regarded as an 

 economic group, decreased in proportion with the 

 increase of the importance of the village. 



In some places, however, and especially among 

 the Ossetes who inhabit the valleys of the 

 Caucasus, the old system may still be found. 

 There, at any rate up to within the last few 

 years, the aouls (villages) are principally com- 

 prised of families holding land in joint tenure, 



