A RUN THROUGH KATHIAAVAE. 255 



since. Dr "VTilson, for instance, in his ' History of the 

 Suppression of Infanticide in Western India,' says 

 " the Kathis are undoubtedly of Scythian origin, as 

 indicated both by their name and physiognomy ; " 

 and General Jacob says that their physical character- 

 istics " give much of probability to the idea that they 

 are of Scythian descent, with which their habits in 

 some degree correspond." That is about all which 

 our orientalists know on the subject, and all the 

 basis they have for their conclusion. 



"Without collateral support, it would be obviously 

 absurd to draw any inference from the resemblance, 

 which might be quite accidental, between the name 

 of the Scythians and the Kathi. As a mere linguis- 

 tic point, it is much more remarkable that the Kathis 

 should have given their own name to the whole 

 peninsula of Kathiawar, a district of country which 

 they first entered in the fifteenth century B.C., where 

 they only occupied a limited space, and where they 

 were among races of far higher pretensions and power. 

 This affords a very good illustration of the way in 

 which a name may suddenly be put to a very large 

 use, and of the folly of depending on such insignifi- 

 cant facts. Kathiawar seems to have got its name 

 because, not the Kathis in general, but a mere sec- 

 tion of them the Kuman Kathis sent out their 

 plundering horsemen so late as the year 1820 into 

 neighbouring territory, and rather surpassed even the 

 Maratha horsemen in their pillaging success. Im- 



