126 SPOLIA ZBYLANICA. 
the other hand, the mortality would be very considerable 
among the offspring. This mortality, when infantile, would 
generally be among the first born and last born, owing to 
maternal immaturity in the first case and constitutional 
depletion in the last. 
On the question of sex I found that the prevalent idea was 
that if a wife was not thoroughly obedient to her husband 
she would invariably give birth to females, and it was only 
complete subjection to the husband’s will that could secure 
a preponderance of males. 
I could get no information on the subject of barrenness or 
sterility. 
As regards the religion of the Veddas previous to their 
modernization, it appears that they believed in certain 
‘“* Yakko,”’ who exercised certain influences for good or evil. 
There was no conception of a Supreme Creator. On the other 
hand, the “‘ Yakko ” possessed, in common with humanity, 
a tendency to favour; so that it was always possible to secure 
its influence in return for special molifying ceremonies. Thus, 
by certain incantations, ceremonial offerings, or honorific 
declarations, the Yakko who exercised specific powers could 
be induced to subtend influence to the advantage of the 
individual then desiring it. Thus, the Yakka who guarded 
the deer might be induced to direct the deer to come within 
the reach of the Vedda’s bow and arrows. On the other 
hand, another Yakka might be propitiated so as to render 
the hunter invisible to the leopard, so that the hunter would 
escape harm. 
Special incantations were supposed to render an individual 
successful in the chase, so that his aim would be deadly, or 
that more game would come his way. 
Again, disease or sickness was the direct outcome ef certain 
malign Yakko, who could be propitiated, and this was specially 
to be considered when a woman was pregnant, so that the 
evil might be diverted from the unborn child. 
I was not able to discover from my informant if the Veddas 
in their primitive times had any definite form of agriculture. 
It is certain that they were acquainted with rice, but I could 
not ascertain how it was procured. 
