164 W. H. P. Driver — On '^ Era Sendra^^ or ^^ ivomen's Imnt.'' [J\JLT, 



The Secretary reported the death of the following member : 

 J. Hart, Esq. 



The President said that Members of the Society would he greatly- 

 gratified to learn that the late President, Mr. E. T. Atkinson, had been 

 unanimously elected an Honorary Member of the Eoyal Imperial 

 Hungarian Academy, both as President of the Society and in recogni- 

 tion of his valuable literary and scientific labours connected with the 

 Gazetteer of the N". W. Provinces and researches into Indian Ento- 

 mology. The Hungarian Academy has been in correspondence with 

 the Asiatic Society for many years, and the late Mr. Arthur Grote, who 

 was one of our most devoted Presidents, was also an Honorary Member 

 of the Academy. 



The President further announced that intimation had been received 

 from the Geographical Society of Paris of their intention to hold a 

 Geographical Congress in the month of August during the Exhibition 

 in that city next year. 



Mr. DuBERN exhibited a new method of illuminating for the micros- 

 cope (postponed from last meeting). 



The General Secretary read the following description by Mr. 

 W. H. P. Driver, of Ranchi, of a peculiar custom amongst the aboriginal 

 tribes of those parts, called " Era Sendra," or ' women's hunt ' : — 



" We have just witnessed a peculiar custom of the people of these 

 parts. It is called the " Era Sendra " or ' women's hunt,' and on this 

 occasion the expulsion of the cholera demon was its purpose. 



"It is an ancient custom, amongst the aboriginal tribes, that when 

 any great calamity, which they cannot cope with, overtakes the land, 

 the women dress themselves up in men's clothes, arm themselves with 

 weapons, and go out to hunt, 



" They do not, however, take to the jungles in quest of game, but 

 visit the nearest villages lying to the east of them, when they hunt the 

 pigs and fowls, and everything they kill is their legitimate spoil. 

 They also levy " blackmail" from the heads of the villages for the pur- 

 chase of liquor. The owners of the pigs and fowls cannot prevent 

 their killing and taking away their property, but the headmen gene- 

 rally compromise matters by giving the visitors a pig as well as some 

 pice ^ pour hoire.* 



" Towards evening the Shikar party retire to some neighbouring 

 stream, where they cook and eat the meat, and drink the liquor which, 

 thanks to a benevolent Government, is always handy. They eat neither 

 rice nor anything else at this meal. After supping they bathe in the 

 stream and then return home. 



