ANCIENT LAW.
VII. Whoever Finds any Strays shall take Proper Care of the Same.
Whoever finds animals wandering without a keeper, must take them up, so that they will not sustain any injury; and, while they are in his charge, must care for them, as though they were his own. Where the owner of a horse, or any other animal, finds him safe and sound, he shall pay for each of said animals, four siliquæ, to him who has cared for it, and, in addition, as much as the latter has expended for the sustenance of the same. If, however, the person who took up said animal should injure it, he shall be compelled to give two others, of the same kind, to the owner thereof.
VIII. No Stray Animal shall be Either Sheared, Branded or Appropriated by Anyone.
No one shall clip or sell a stray horse which he has taken up, nor shall he place any mark or brand upon any oxen, or cattle, of any description whatever. If anyone should sell, or give away, a stray animal, he shall be held as a thief under the law. Whoever shears a stray animal, shall be compelled to pay three solidi, and he shall be liable to the same penalty, who places a mark, or brand of any kind, upon such an animal.[44]
TITLE VI. CONCERNING BEES, AND THE DAMAGE THEY CAUSE.
| I. | Where a Person Finds Bees on his Property. |
| II. | Where Bees Cause any Damage. |
| III. | Concerning the Theft of Bees. |
I. Where a Person Finds Bees on his Property.
Where anyone finds bees on his premises, whether in his grove, or in the rocks, or in the trees, or in any place whatsoever, he must make three marks, or characters, in testimony of possession, for the reason that where only one mark is made, it often gives occasion for fraud. If another person should make a mark of his own in the same place, or should erase any which have already been made, he shall pay double the value of the bees to him whom he defrauded, and shall also receive twenty lashes.
II. Where Bees Cause any Damage.