"WATER IN THE NOSE." 285 



destroying them by placing them at the entrance of the cattle- 

 fold of the village, the oxen being driven over the spot where 

 the hapless infant was laid. Should it happen that through 

 any freak of the animals the child was avoided by them and 

 so escaped death from their hoofs, it was considered to have 

 overcome the evil fate, and its life was spared. It was 

 usually sent away into some sequestered village, and not 

 acknowledged as its father's offspring until some time had 

 elapsed It was believed that these children who escaped 

 through this ordeal would live to be extremely rich. It is 

 said that the present Prime Minister of Madagascar was thus 

 exposed as an infant, having been born in the ill-fated month, 

 but he escaped injury, and so has lived to be the most power- 

 ful chief minister the country has ever had as its ruler. 



There is still one more custom in use in Madagascar hav- 

 ing the character of an ordeal. This is called Rano-an'- 

 brona, "water in the nose," and is a test which is made by 

 putting water in the nostrils, this being supposed to cause the 

 guilty party to sneeze. So that if a person accuses another 

 of theft the accused will say, " Come, let us both put water 

 in our nostrils, if you dare test it, and see whether I stole or 

 not ? " 



Folk-Lore of Home and Family Life. — A few words may 

 now be said about some popular Malagasy beliefs and super- 

 stitions having reference chiefly to home and family life. 



The mention of sneezing just now reminds us that the 

 world-wide superstition of some evil influence being at work 

 when any one sneezes is equally prevalent in Madagascar. 

 Thus, when a child sneezes its mother or nurse always repeats 

 the common benediction, " Hotahin' Andriamhnitra hianao," 

 "God bless you," exactly as is done in Europe and other 

 parts of the world. 



When a child loses one of its first or milk-teeth the tooth 

 is thrown over the house, a practice closely corresponding to 

 what is common in some parts of England. Toothache is 

 believed to be caused by a small worm in the offending tooth, 

 and so the sufferer is described as being marary dlitra, 

 " poorly through the worm." 



There is a common belief that the first spittle produced 



