!948 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXL 



and enlarge the holes bored in the lobes of men's ears and in which 

 are ultimately inserted those huge golden rings and masses of 

 iewellery, which the wealthy among the Tamils are so fond of 

 displaying. For this purpose a thin leaflet is neatly cut into a 

 narrow stripe and closely rolled up. In this state its tendency to 

 'expand assists materially in keeping the hole open.^ 



The following passage, taken from Rumphius who wrote in 1741, 

 is more of historical interest : "By the inhabitants of Macassar," 

 he says, "these leaves are so miich esteemed, that none of the 

 •common people dare carry an umbrella or large broad-brimmed 

 hat made of them, except the three highest noblemen in that 

 -country, namely, the Princes of Tello, of Goa, and of Sadrabona. 

 They accordingly make umbrellas from the leaf of the Talla 

 (.(Palmyra), all the radii of which are interwoven with tinsel, 

 and surrounded with a border of ebony, or even covered with 

 Eottanga and silk, so that this broad-brimmed hat or umbrella 

 is always open. If they wish to carry it, the}^ place it on a 

 .stick, the handle of which is covered with gold, and which it is 

 not proper for their servants to carry without distinction behind 

 the back ; this is permitted only to the nobles." (Herharium 

 ■amhoinense.) 



10. Leaves as ivriting material. — The most singular purposes to 

 which they are devoted is that of writing upon. A well-informed 

 Tamil Native furnished Ferguson with the following information : 

 " The oldest Hindoo author who mentions writing on Olas (Pal- 

 myra leaves) is Panniny-rishee who lived about the year 790 of 

 the Caliyugam ; that is 4161 years " ago, according to Hindoo 

 reckoning. He resided near the source of the River Ganges at a 

 place called Arrittuwarum. He was the inventor of the Sanscrit 

 Alphabet, although verses in Sanscrit were in existence before his 

 time, committed to memory and thus transmitted." We are not 

 able to say what degree of evidence may be attributed to these 

 :statements. It is probable that Hcernle's ' Epigraphical Note on 

 Palmleaf, Paper and Birchbark ' '' contains some more critical 



1 Cf. Ferguson, W. 1. c p. 23-25. Watt, G. 1. c. p. 170. 



■^ Ferguson wrote this in 1850. 



3 In Journ. As. Soc Beng. Vol. ('.'.), pt- I, No. 2. 



