Haruspicy

Haruspicy is a means of divination, whereby in order to foretell the future the adept closely examines the entrails of a sacrificed animal. It was a practice much followed in Ancient Rome.

Interestingly the gentleman with the thistle-down hair is familiar with it, and mentions it to Stephen as one of several methods he has used in his search to discover Stephen's true name. (It does appear though from his allusion to its use - "Out of my dear love for you, Stephen, I have...prised dripping, bloody guts out of dying men to discover your future" - that he has used it upon human and not animal victims. The moral difference would not be readily apparent to him.)[30]

For more information see here .