If an ewe gives birth to five, one with the head of a bull[50], one with a lion-head, one with a jackal-head, one with a dog-head and one with the head of a lamb[51], devastation will take place in the country. If an ewe gives birth to six, confusion among the population. If an ewe gives birth to seven,--three male and four female--, the king will perish. If an ewe gives birth to eight, approach of an usurper, the tribute of the king will be withheld. If an ewe gives birth to nine, end of the dynasty. If an ewe gives birth to ten, a weakling will acquire universal sovereignty[52]. The general similarity of the interpretations may be taken as a further indication that the =bârû=-priests were simply giving their fancy free scope in making prognostications for conditions that could never arise; nor is it of serious moment that in the case of triplets the interpretation is favorable to the owner of the ewe, or that in the case of ten lambs, even the official interpretation is not distinctly unfavorable--in view of the purely 'academic' character of such entries. An extract from a long text[53] furnishing omens derived from all kinds of peculiarities and abnormal phenomena noted on the ears of an animal--primarily again the sheep, though no doubt assumed to be applicable to other domesticated animals--will throw further light on the system of divination devised by the =bârû=-priests, and will also illustrate the extravagant fancy of the priests in their endeavor to make their collections provide for all possible and indeed for many impossible contingencies. If a foetus[54] lacks the right ear, the rule of the king will come to an end, his palace will be destroyed, overthrow of the elders of the city, the king will be without counsellors, confusion in the land, diminution of the cattle in the land, the enemy will acquire control[55]. If the foetus lacks a left ear, a god will harken to the prayer of the king, the king will take the land of his enemy, the palace of the enemy will be destroyed, the enemy will be without a counsellor, the cattle of the enemy's country will be diminished, the enemy will lose control. If the right ear of the foetus is detached, the stall[56] will be destroyed. If the left ear of the foetus is detached, the enemy's stall will be destroyed. If the right ear of the foetus is split, the herd will be destroyed or the leaders of the city will leave (it)[57]. If the left ear of the foetus is split, the herd will be enlarged, the leaders of the enemy's country will leave (it). If the right ear of the foetus is split and swollen with clay, the country [will have a rival]. If the left ear of the foetus is split and swollen with clay, the enemy's country will have a rival.