INTRODUCTION. 8 
Administration, the names of the Working-plans, Forest Administra” 
tion Reports, Biandis suggestions for Madras Forest Administration, 
the old vernacular list, local lists either collected by myself or kindly 
sent iv by District Forest Officers (to whom I am greatly obliged), and 
a variety of other sources. In these almost every author has his own 
way of spelling the names, and the difficulty was to find out which, if 
any, was the correct way. As one example, the common Tamil name 
Odi (Odina Wodier) was spelt in 27 different ways, including Odi, 
Oody, Hoody, Woody, Vudy, Odiya (the genitive), etc. I have 
tried to bring all this spelling into line; I do not say that in every 
case my interpretation must be correct, but I think that this isa step, 
and perhaps a big step towards getting uniformity on the one hand 
and correctness on the other. A great difficulty was in the fact 
that often there is the same vernacular name for very different spe- 
cies, that often there are several names for the same species, that in 
different districts a patois changes the correct name, that often a wrong 
name has been given toa specific plant, and finally that somewhat 
similar sounding, but in reality different, names are given to allied 
species. Under the last I may quote firstly the Albizzias in Tamil; we 
get Calaivagai, Celdivagai, Cildivagdi, and CQolaivagai; in the second 
place we find errors such as Nirmadalam (“ Water pomegranate ”’) for 
Nirmaliyam “offerings:to Siva”) in Malayalam,Holenekki (“WaterVitex 
Negundo”) for Hoddelenage (“joined together leaf plant”) in Cana- 
rese, both for Cratwva religiosa. The names of every plant required. 
a study in itself. Here] may mention that, having made out my 
transliteration table which is given at the commencement, the trans- 
literation being such that now the English letters can at once be 
put back into the vernacular, I started first with the dictionaries of 
each language (given in the abbreviations) and adopted them first as 
a basis (I have taught myself to read each of the vernaculars) transli- 
terating them according to the above table. Then [have taken Vol. III 
of McLean’s Manual of Madras Administration, where entries were 
made in the vernacular type (with one or two modifications where, as 
above, I believe a mistake has been made); and thirdly the Sanskrit 
names asa basis, either direct, or by inference as to the meaning of the 
nai:e of the plant ; for, a careful study of the whole shows that each 
plant name has a quasi-descriptive meaning, either from its form, pro- 
perties, habitat, or similar qualification ; and finally, when none of these 
aids were available, by tracing the meaning of the name of the plant. 
There may be errors inthis, but I have made a special study of the 
plants on the one hand and of the vernaculars (Uriya, Sanskrit, Telugu, 
Tamil, Malayalam and Canarese) on the other, and I think I have 
fairly well worked them out, or atall events made a step towards 
doing so. A commonerror is in putting the genitive case. (e.g., Guggi- 
lapu (Tel.), Odiya (Tam.), Udina (Can,) for the nominatives Guggilamu, 
Odi, Udi, when “ tree ” is dropped. 
6. I have mentioned that in different districts there is a patois; 
e.g., Rela, and Vemu (or Vepa-genitive-cettu) in Ouddapah are 
1-a 
