26 The Ethnology of India. 



ascertained), speaking a language akin to that of the Oraons. Those 

 hills form a kind of knot at the extreme eastern point of the hill 

 country of Central India. It was known that the people were entirely 

 different from their neighbours the Santals. The latter cultivate the 

 lower lands, and it may at first sight seem surprising that the higher 

 grounds should be in the possession of more recent settlers of a distant 

 southern stock. The fact, however, seems to be explained by the 

 plundering habits of the Rajmahal hillmen. They seem to have 

 occupied those hills as a kind of stronghold, from which they could 

 conveniently plunder the plains around them. 



The greater part of the Chota-Nagpore division and adjoining tracts 

 is occupied by tribes whom I take as representative of the second or 

 northern division of the Aborigines. There are ' Lurka Coles,' c Hos,' 

 ' Bhoomiz,' ' Moondahs,' and Santals, and wilder tribes of the border 

 hills, all speaking dialects of a language very different from the 

 Dra vidian. In fact, so far as vocables go, no substantial connection can 

 be traced. Max Miiller speaks of these tongues as quite unconnected 

 with any other. Still I venture to think that there seems to be some 

 similarity of structure between them and the Dravidian languages. 

 Major Tickell has published in the Journal of the Society a grammar 

 of the Hos or Lurka Col language ; and I note the following as a few 

 of the peculiarities common to it and to the Dravidian tongues, as the 

 latter are set forth by Dr. Caldwell. 



First, there is the general coincidence of structure, which I have 

 already noticed as common to all the Aboriginal tongues as well as to 

 Hindustanee, Turkish, &c. In this respect, the northern Aborigines 

 do not differ, and they similarly use postpositions, &c. 



Further. In the Dravidian tongues there is no regular gender, 

 all inanimate things are neuter, and the terms male and female are 

 prefixed when necessary. 



It seems to be the same in the northern aboriginal tongues. 



Adjectives do not decline, nor are there degrees of comparison. 



It is the same in the northern tongues. 



There are two forms of the first person plural, one to include, and the 

 other to exclude the person addressed. 



This peculiarity also is found among the northern tribes, as well as 

 in the Australian tongues. 



