^51 



or beautiful in their owner's eyes. Of late years the 

 custom has tended to fall into abeyance in certain 

 districts. As is to be expected the people of country 

 villages cling- to it with greater tenacity than those in 

 towns. Many, however, decorate their bulls in this 

 way without thought of it as an amulet against evil — 

 to them it is merely an old custom to be followed, or else 

 they put it on their favourite animals as an ornament to 

 mark the pride they have in them. Again, some, from 

 a peculiar shyness olten met when discussing such 

 matters with the peasantry, deny that the chank-shell 

 is used as an amulet although in reality it may be so 

 used by them. 



In the southern Deccan the custom appears to be 

 falling more quickly into abeyance than in Tamil dis- 

 tricts. The Collector of Kurnool informs me that 

 though the practice survives in parts of Dhone, 

 Kumbum, Koilkuntla and Sirvel taluks of tying 

 a chank on the forehead or round the necks of bullocks 

 and ponies, it is gradually dying out ; in Bellary the Col- 

 lector states that it still prevails in Bellary, Hospet and 

 Hadagalli taluks in respect to bullocks, but adds that the 

 people do not now attach any religious or secular signifi- 

 cance to it. In Anantapur the Collector states that the 

 custom is not now followed in that district. 



In Madras City it is quite common to see it and there 

 also I have seen a shell hung by a chain or a cord round 

 the neck of a cow-buftalo when in milk to prevent her 

 being " overlooked ' and her milk thereby dried up pre- 

 maturely. In country villages this latter custom is not 

 infrequent both in regard to ordinary cows and to cow- 

 buffaloes. In the former case the half of a coconut- shell 

 is often added at either side of the chank-shell. In the 

 Madura, Trichinopoly Salem and adjacent districts a shell 

 is often hung round the necks of jutka and pack ponies, 

 not only by Hindu owners but also by Muhammadans. 

 In Madura specially valued sheep occasionally are simi- 

 larly guarded from evil, and in the same district I have 

 seen milch-goats protected in a like manner. In all 

 these cases the shells used are of small size, the great 

 majority being dead or sub-fossil shells from the mud- 

 beds of Ceylon. They are the same as are sold as 

 feeding" spouts for infants in every Tamil bazaar. A 



