MISCELLANEA. 
513 
often sacrificed to him, or, when the worship did not assume a 
savage character, the person or animal for whom protection was 
entreated, rushed, or was driven, rapidly through the flames.” — 
Treatise on “ Cattle p. 91. 
“ On the first of May the herdsmen of every village in the 
Highlands hold their Bel- tein, or rural sacrifice. They cut a 
square trench in the ground, leaving the turf in the middle ; on 
that they make a large fire, on which they dress eggs, butter, 
oatmeal, and milk, and bring, besides, the ingredients for the cau- 
dle, plenty of beer and whiskey, for each of the company must 
contribute something. The rites begin by pouring some of the 
caudle on the ground by way of libation, on which every one 
takes a cake of oatmeal, with nine square nobs raised upon it, 
each dedicated to some particular being, the supposed preserver 
of their flocks and herds, or to some particular animal, the real 
destroyer of them. Each person then turns his face to the fire, 
breaks off a knob, and flings it over his shoulder, saying, “ This I 
give to thee ! preserve thou my horses ; this to thee ! preserve 
thou my sheep and so on. After that they use the same 
ceremony to the noxious animals. “This I give to thee, oh fox, 
spare thou my lambs ; this to thee, oh eagle ; this to thee, oh 
hooded crow ! ” When the ceremony is over they dine on the 
caudle.” — Pennant’s Tour in Scotland in 1769, p. 100. 
“ In Ireland Bal- tien is celebrated on the 21st of June, at the 
solstice. There they make fires on the tops of the hills ; every 
member of the family is made to pass through the fire, for they 
reckon this ceremony to ensure good fortune through the succeed- 
ing year. ” — Macpherson’s Critical Dissert. 
Destruction of Wild Animals in France. 
In most of the French arrondissements persons are appointed 
by government to hunt and destroy the wild and noxious animals 
that yet remain in France. A return of what was done during 
the season 1835-6, has lately been made, from which it appears 
that MM. les Lieutenants des Chasses killed 216 male wolves, 
122 female ditto, 303 wolf-cubs, 476 wild boars, and 1479 foxes. 
In addition to these are the proceeds of the regular hunts, esta- 
blished in various parts of France, of the wild boar and the fox, 
and sometimes of the wolf. If we add but one-sixth to the num- 
ber destroyed by the government officers, we shall have more 
than 3000 of these beasts of prey got rid of in one season. A 
very pretty state some of the mountainous parts of France must 
be in. 
