ANIMAL AND PLANT LIFE. 13i 
J remarked that while walking through the jungle, though 
provided with a knife, Dissan Hamy rarely used it to cut away 
any intercepting branch or creeper, these being invariably 
bent to one side by the hand. 
I observed this custom many years ago when travelling 
through a distant village called Uda Wellawey at the foot of 
the Haldummulla hills, and I understand it is to prevent 
persons from finding a hunter’s trail. 
I made inquiry, in addition to direct observation while 
exploring the Vedda country, as to the prevailing diseases 
among the inhabitants, and what was done as regards remedies. 
The result cf my investigation led me to conclude that the 
commonest disease among adults was fever, but I could get 
no statistics on which I could rely to form an opinion as to 
the percentage this particular disease afforded as compared 
with others. 
It was, however, difficult to discriminate in what proportion 
of fevers typhoid was to be regarded, as I found in many cases 
the people did not know the difference. Dysentery appears to 
be well known, and is locally called ‘* Le-pachchane,” bet I 
was told that it was not nearly so common as fever. Fever is 
not common as compared with the prevalence of that disease 
in the Tamankaduwa District. 
Venereal, I am told, is unknown, and probably for reasons 
I gave earlier in this Paper. It occurs, however, more in the 
neighbourhood of civilized centres. I did not see a single 
instance of goitre, or of elephantiasis, though I cannot suppose 
the latter is unknown. I found numerous cases of sores on 
the feet and legs of both adults and children, but these were 
explained as being in all cases due to accidental injuries. 
Bronchitis, however, is common, more especially in children, 
who also appear to be commonly troubled with anemia, which 
may or may not be directly due te intestinal parasites. 
As regards treatment, I found that the remedy was invari- 
ably based on the theory that diseases may be divided into 
two great classes—heating or inflammatory, and the opposite 
—therefore the cure was to be found in those specifics which 
were opposed to these two heads of causation. For example, 
if a man had a violent cold, the “‘ milk ”’ of the coconut could 
8 6(8)15 
