HINDU ZOOLOGICAL BELIEFS. 24.S 



The Head-Louse is only too common in India, and hunting 

 for these vermin on each other seems to be the sole recreation 

 that the ordinary coolies have. It is interesting to note that if 

 one falls to the ground in Madras it is certain to go north, west, 

 or south, but never east, because then it would certainly before 

 long fall into the sea. 



The beautiful Harvest-Mite {Tromhidium) , with its body 

 seemingly made of red velvet — indeed, the Tamil name means 

 " velvet insect " — has a quaint story as to its origin. Sita one 

 day was chewing betel, and on expectorating on the ground, 

 what was her delight to find that the unsightly mark moved 

 away as the lovely Red -Mite. 



MoLLUscA. — The Lamellibranchs (bivalves) are not mentioned 

 as such, but as they are the pearl-producing group we may note 

 that pearls are said in India to arise in three ways : (1) From the 

 Crab or Oyster (the Tamil name for both these is the same, so 

 that the South Indian is certainly not a zoologist), (2) from the 

 hollow stem of the bamboo, (3) from the Elephant's tusks. 

 These are the places where you may confidently expect to find 

 pearls. As to how they ever got there — well, as Mr, Kipling 

 says, " that's another story." Only, remember that the best 

 pearls come from the Elephant's tusks. 



Requienia ammonea has its small right valve fitted on like an 

 operculum. These stony valves are picked up on the beach at 

 Rameswaram in large numbers, and pilgrims to that famous 

 shrine usually buy them and bring them home as curios to be 

 distributed among friends and relatives as a souvenir of the holy 

 place. To the Hindu these little things are the eyes of the 

 demon Ravana, King of Lanka (Ceylon), who fought against 

 Rama, one of the " avatars " (appearances on this earth) of 

 Vishnu. In the personal conflict between the champions 

 in Lanka, Rama had cut off Ravana's ten heads a thousand 

 times, but no sooner was one head severed than it was regrown. 

 Rama was unable to conquer so long as Ravana's heart contained 

 the holy nectar (amritha), but whenever Rama's arrow pierced 

 his heart and broke there the vessel containing the nectar, then 

 the heads ceased to grow. As Ravana had a pair of eyes in 

 each of his ten heads, all of which were cut oft' a thousand times, 

 he left twenty thousand eyes behind him on the shore, and as all 



