150 
which in many cases show distinct traces of a totemistic 
organization. Among these the Kurmis of Bengal, and 
the nomad Koravas w "ho wander throughout the penin- 
sular part of India, both have an exogamous sept or gotra 
of which the totem is the chank-shell. Among the Kurmis 
this sept is called Sankhawar ; its members are prohibited 
from wearing ornaments made from chank-shells. With 
the Koravas it is termed Samudrala, signifying the sea, 
and people of this sept may not use the chank in any 
way. Higher than these are the Kalinjis, an Uriya 
agricultural caste, and the Kurubas, a caste of shepherds 
and weavers W idely spread throughout the Madras Presi- 
dency. Both castes comprise septs named after the chank, 
in the case of the Nalinjis Sankho, in that of the Kurubas 
Sankhu. I am not aware whether the septs among the 
former caste have now totemistic value, or if it has 
become merely a name, a gotra name ; in any case it may 
be taken as certain that in the pre-Hinduised condition, 
the name of the gotra was of real totemistic value. Bhago 
(tiger) and nago (cobra) are names of two other gotras of 
obviously totémistic origin. With the Kurubas, the sept 
is undoubtedly exogamous and its totemistic character 
certain. 
Another caste or sub-caste showing by the names of 
its sections a probable totemistic origin is that of the 
Koppala or Toththala, a sub-division of the Velamas, a 
Caste (Of agriculturists in the Vizagapatam district. 
Among their sections are some named Naga (cobra), 
Sankha (chank), Tulasi (basil or tulsi) and Tabélu 
(tortoise). At the present day these divisions although 
apparently of totemistic origin, have no significance so 
far as marriage 1s concerned. (Thurston, VI I, 340.) 
(1) EVIL-EYE SUPERSTITIONS. 
Belief in the reality of the malign results which ensue 
from being overlooked by the evil-eye is frequently 
present in an acute form in the Madras Presidency. 
It is specially dreaded in the case of houses under 
construction and in respect to valued cattle. Every- 
where in Tamil districts the custom prevails more or 
less extensively of seeking protection for draft _bullocks 
by tying a small chank- shell upon the forehead of such 
as are in good condition or in any way specially valuable 
