What is the significance of slitting the ears of cattle in Qur'an 4:119?

> And I will mislead them, and I will arouse in them [sinful] desires, and **I will command them so they will slit the ears of cattle**, and I will command them so they will change the creation of Allah." And whoever takes Satan as an ally instead of Allah has certainly sustained a clear loss. -- Qur'an 4:119 This makes me wonder why slitting the ears of cattle has any importance. It's certainly not something I could envisage being tempted to do, no matter how persuasive Satan is. **Question**: What is the significance of slitting the ears of cattle in Qur'an 4:119? Tafsir write: > ...surely I will command them and they will cut up the cattle’s ears and this was done to the she-camels they called bahā’ir. -- Tafsir al-Jalalayn > > ...and surely I will command them and they will cut the cattle's ears, what is known as the Bahirah. -- Tanwîr al-Miqbâs min Tafsîr Ibn ‘Abbâs So perhaps this is an historical thing. (It doesn't seem related to Bahira .)