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An)^ S&ty which demands sacrifices involving the shedding of blood may always be set down as belonging to the lowest and most loathsome class of this order ; other less objectionable types are sometimes content with offerings of rice and cooked food*of various kinds. There are parts«of India wj^ere both these varieties may be found flourishing even at the present day, and in Africa they are probably comparatively numerous.
By means of whatever nourishment they can obtain from the offerings, and still more by the vitality they draw from their devotees, they may continue to prolong their •existence for many years, or even centuries, retaining sufficient strength to perform occasional phenomena of a mild type in order to