ANIMAL AND PLANT LIFE. 127 
Equally they were acquainted with tobacco and betel, for 
I was shown a place where the Veddas established a toll that 
was paid usually in these particular commodities. 
The dog was the only domestic animal reared by the Vedda, 
and special names were given to these pets. 
The Veddas appeared to have no knowledge of melting iron 
for the manufacture of their particular implements, which 
consisted of the bow and arrow, the spear, and the small axe, 
or hatchet. Arrow and spear-heads were procured by barter ; 
the method of procedure was to clear a small space round 
the foot of a tree by the wayside leading to a village known to 
contain smiths. Here the Vedda would hang up to the branch 
of a tree a vessel containing honey, or a piece of meat, which 
would be taken by the smith, who in return would hang up an 
arrow-head. 
It was understood by both that the quantity or number of 
articles required would be represented by the number of 
parcels of meat or honey. Should the smith, however, take 
the meat and not leave the arrow-heads that were thus 
silently requisitioned, he would pay the penalty with his life, 
or some of his animals would be shot by the defrauded Vedda. 
The bow was usually made from the wood of the Dunu- 
madala (Stereospermum chelonioides) and of the Bignoniacez. 
It was not always of the same length, as this appears to have 
depended on the springiness of the wood. The arrow was 
generally about 4 ft. long, or as much as a man could draw the 
bow to. The arrow-head appears to have been small, large 
arrow-heads being for ceremonial purposes only. 
Fire was obtained by spinning, under moderate pressure, a 
vertical rod of Welanga wood (Pterospermum suberifolium) on 
a flat piece of wood of the same species, with the point of the 
former surrounded by floss, or some quickly inflammable 
material. Later, the flint and steel were found more effective. 
One example of a flint and steel was shown to me at Panawa, 
and I tried to purchase it at the owner’s valuation, but I found 
he was most reluctant to sell. 1 understood that the flint and 
steel, a lock of hair, and a fragment of cloth represented a title 
deed, these being given by a dying man to his heir, or adopted 
heir, as a mode or evidence of transfer. 
