151 
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 often 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-buffalo 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-shel: 
is often added at either side of the chank-shell. In the 
Madura, 'richinopoly Salem and adjacent districts a shel] 
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 
