1882.] J. Cockburn — Buddhist Sculptures. 95 



2. Essays on BihdH Declension and Conjugation. 



By G. A. Grierson, B. C. S. 



(Abstract.) 



Hitherto only two dialects of the Bihari language have been thorough- 

 ly investigated and each of these in one special form. These two dialects 

 are — the Bhojpiiri as spoken near Benares, treated of by Dr. A. F. Rudolf 

 Hoernle in his " Comparative Grammar of the Gaudian Languages" and 

 the Maithili, the standard dialect of the centre of Mithila, investigated bj 

 Mr. G. A. Grierson in his " Maithili Grammar." The Magadhi dialect 

 has not been treated of in any form, but it is a very interesting subject 

 for study as showing the stepping-stone between the somewhat archaic 

 forms contained in standard Maithili, and the more phonetically attrited 

 forms found in Bhojpuri, 



The author's object in these essays is to bring to a common focus all 

 the information which he has collected concerning the dialects of Bihar. 

 The dialects mainly treated of are the following : — 



A. Bhojpuri, spoken in Western Bihar. 



B. Magadhi, spoken in South Bihar. 



C. Maithili, spoken in North-East Bihar. 

 Of the last, there are two sub-dialects : 



(1.) North Maithili of North Tirhut and Bhagulpur. 

 (2.) South Maithili of South Tirhut and North Munger. 

 Besides these, the dialects of language border lands have been consi- 

 dered, viz.i 



(A.) The Baiswari of the Ramayana of Tulsi Das, which is the border 

 dialect between Bihari (Bhojpuri) and Hindi ; 



(B.) The dialects of the border land between Bihari (Maithili) and 

 Bengali. 



This paper will be published in Journal, Part I, for 1882. 



3. Notes on Buddhist Sculptures with reference to the handling of Celts 

 and other weapons. — By John Cocke tjrn. 

 (Abstract.) 

 This paper gives a new interpretation of PI. XXXII of Fergusson's 

 * Tree and Serpent Worship,' which is a representation of the 3rd bas-re- 

 lief from the top on the inner face of the left hand pillar of the eastern 

 gateway, Plate XIV. Mr. Fergusson explains the sculpture as represent- 

 ing a family of Dasyus following their usual avocations. Mr. Cockburn 

 is of opinion that it is intended to represent the workshop of a Bronze 

 Smith of the period, and shows how all the different figures are consistent 

 with this explanation. In the plate there are two men on the right, who, 

 both in Mr. Fergusson's and in Mr. Cockburn's interpretation, are taken 



