354 Discovery of three new species [May, 



will remember the rather whimsical definition of the first of the two 

 symbols by Col. Tod, from a traditionary record of the 74^ maunds of 

 zindrs taken from the necks of the slaughtered Rajputs at Akbkr's 

 sack of Chitor*. But, to say nothing of the far too modern date of 

 introduction thus argued, and of its inapplicability to countries beyond 

 the desert ; a more general and simple origin may be traced for it in 

 the mysterious invocation ^J[ Om, prefixed by the orthodox to all docu- 

 ments. In the inscriptions published in Plates VII. and XVII. this 

 word is written \?\\ which differs little from the *>8|l above. The 

 triune symbol is often represented by ^ alone, which with the proso- 

 dial mark || would be read as " one and a half." 



But we are devoting too much space to a subject of minor import- 

 ance : nor is the alphabet new ; for we find the type (at least of the 

 Miiltdni alphabet), have been long since cut and used at the Serampore 

 press. We cannot conclude without making known a promise of a 

 valuable addition to Mr. Wathen's labours by Lieut. Leech, in the 

 shape of a Balochy, and Barahui vocabulary. We shall soon thus have 

 at our command all the cognate dialects of India to place in the hands 

 of some future giant philologist who may undertake to unravel the 

 tangled skein, and shew which are the primitive tongues of the abori- 

 gines of our hills and plains, and whence and when came the infusions 

 of foreign vocables which now predominate in Indian speech. 



J. P. 



IV. — On additional fossil species of the order Quaduumana/tow the 

 Sewiilik Hills. By H. Falconek, Esq. M. D., and Captain P. T. 

 Cautley. 



In the November number of the Journal, vol. 5, p. 739, Messrs. 

 Baker and Durand have announced, in the discovery of a quadru- 

 manous animal, one of the most interesting results that has followed on 

 the researches into the fossil remains of the Sewdlik Hills. The specimen 

 which they have figured and described comprises the right half of the 

 upper jaw, with the series of molars complete ; and they infer that it 

 belonged to a very large species. In the course of last rains we 



* " Marked on the banker's letter in Rajasthan : it is the strongest of seals, for 'the 

 sin of the slaughter of Chitor' is thereby invoked on all who violate a letter under the 

 safeguardof this mysterious number." — Tod's Rdjasthdn, I. 329. 



