MANUAL OF THE NILAGIRI DISTRICT, 191 



relation to the several husbands does not appear to be defined. CHAP, ix. 

 Colonel Marshall asserts that each husband has an equal claim to PART I. 

 parental right in the children born to them by the wife, and Ethnology. 



Mr. Metz that they claim the children on the principle of 



seniority, thus, the first child is given to the eldest brother, the 

 second to the next, and so on. The differences are probably due 

 to the varying customs of the several clans. I am not aware 

 that these questions have ever been sifted in a court of justice. 

 Women do not inherit, but the property is equally divided among 

 the sons, the youngest taking the house, and with it accepting 

 the duty of maintaining the females of the deceased. It is 

 probable, however, that the father's wishes may to some extent 

 determine the distribution of the estate. Inheritance goes in the 

 male line,^ not in the female as amongst the polyandrists of the 

 West Coast. 



The Tddas have several games, which they play with much Pastimes, 

 energy and apparent enjoyment. They are expert at a game 

 called Ildta, which is played with a cylindrical piece of wood 

 pointed at both ends and a bat. In fact Ilata is a variety of 

 tipcat. ^ 



Another game is called Narthpimi and is thus described by 

 Mr. Breeks : 



" Close to some munds a stone table may be observed, consisting 

 of two slabs stuck edgeways into the ground and another laid across 

 them, leaving an opening just large enough for a man to drag himself 

 through on his stomach. Two stones are fixed as starting posts, one 

 at about thirty, the other about sixty yards from the table. A man 

 stands by each of these, and the nearer of the two runs to the table 

 and tries to wriggle under it, before the other, starting at the same 

 time from the farther stone, can catch him. The rapidity with which 

 they squeeze through the opening must be the result of long practice 

 in crawling in and out of their house-doors." 



A third game, called Kdridlayimi, has some resemblance to 

 Puss in the Corner. 



They have only one musical instrument, a kind of flute, called Mnsic and 

 Buguri. It is simply a hollow bamboo with holes at intervals, ^"°S- 

 and is by no means sweet in tone. The singing of the Todas is 

 remarkable for an entire absence of tune. They lean their heads 

 upon their hands, shut their teeth, and make a droning nasal 

 sound which can hardly be dignified even with the name of a 

 chant, and often approaches more nearly to a snore. As far as 

 I know, they have no words for these songs, though one is 

 known as the wedding song {snori). The Toda word is graphic. 



' It is remarkable, iiowever, that in regard to the sacred bnfEaloes, the descent 

 is through the females.— Marshall. 



