(2) Animal tabus.—­Besides the dislike of swine’s flesh already noted among certain Celtic groups, the killing and eating of the hare, hen, and goose were forbidden among the Britons.  Caesar says they bred these animals for amusement, but this reason assigned by him is drawn from his knowledge of the breeding of rare animals by rich Romans as a pastime, since he had no knowledge of the breeding of sacred animals which were not eaten—­a common totemic or animal cult custom.[743] The hare was used for divination by Boudicca,[744] doubtless as a sacred animal, and it has been found that a sacred character still attaches to these animals in Wales.  A cock or hen was ceremonially killed and eaten on Shrove Tuesday, either as a former totemic animal, or, less likely, as a representative of the corn-spirit.  The hare is not killed in certain districts, but occasionally it is ceremonially hunted and slain annually, while at yearly fairs the goose is sold exclusively and eaten.[745] Elsewhere, e.g. in Devon, a ram or lamb is ceremonially slain and eaten, the eating being believed to confer luck.[746] The ill-luck supposed to follow the killing of certain animals may also be reminiscent of totemic tabus.  Fish were not eaten by the Pictish Meatae and Caledonii, and a dislike of eating certain fresh-water fish was observed among certain eighteenth century Highlanders.[747] It has been already seen that certain fish living in sacred wells were tabu, and were believed to give oracles.  Heron’s flesh was disliked in Ireland, and it was considered unlucky to kill a swan in the Hebrides.[748] Fatal results following upon the killing or eating of an animal with which the eater was connected by name or descent are found in the Irish sagas.  Conaire was son of a woman and a bird which could take human shape, and it was forbidden to him to hunt birds.  On one occasion he did so, and for this as well as the breaking of other tabus, he lost his life.[749] It was tabu to Cuchulainn, “the hound of Culann,” to eat dog’s flesh, and, having been persuaded to do this, his strength went from him, and he perished.  Diarmaid, having been forbidden to hunt a boar with which his life was connected, was induced by Fionn to break this tabu, and in consequence he lost his life by one of the boar’s bristles entering his foot, or (in a variant) by the boar’s killing him.  Another instance is found in a tale of certain men transformed to badgers.  They were slain by Cormac, and brought to his father Tadg to eat.  Tadg unaccountably loathed them, because they were transformed men and his cousins.[750] In this tale, which may contain the debris of totemic usage, the loathing arises from the fact that the badgers are men—­a common form of myths explanatory of misunderstood totemic customs, but the old idea of the relation between a man and his totem is not lost sight of.  The other tales may also be reminiscent of a clan totem tabu, later centred in a mythic hero.  Perhaps the belief in lucky or unlucky animals, or in omens drawn from their appearance, may be based on old totem beliefs or in beliefs in the divinity of the animals.