The method in which the pellet is expelled from the gun differs somewhat from 

 that which in Malaysian tribes expel the dart. At Kilakarai the pellet is placed in 

 the mouth, into which the butt of the tube is also introduced. The pellet is then worked 

 into the tube with the tongue, and is propelled by a violent effort of the lungs. No 

 wadding is used. Aim is rendered inaccurate, in the first place by the heaviness of the 

 tube, a fault inherent in this form of blow-gun, and secondly by the unsuitable nature 

 of the missile. Twenty-five feet is probably the limit of distance at which a pigeon can 

 be killed, whereas the aim of a Sakai (who uses a small pointed dart with a cone of 

 some light substance at its base, stoppers up the tube with a vegetable wadding 

 behind and does not take the end of the "gun " into his mouth) is accurate up to 

 twenty-five yards. 



Fig. 2 on the same plate represents a toy blow-gun, also from Kilakarai. It was 

 used as a plaything by a Labbi boy and consisted merely of a hollow cane with a flat 

 piece of tinned iron, probably from a biscuit-tin, twisted round the butt and fastened 

 by soldering the two ends together. Pellets of clay were used as missiles, but without 

 much effect. I have seen pieces of the cane used in making pipe-stems employed in a 

 similar way by Bengali boys in the Calcutta bazaars. 



Mr. I. H. Burkill tells me that he has evidence of the existence, either at the 

 present day or formerly, in Eastern Bengal or Assam of a blow-gun with darts. 

 Further information on this point would be of value. 



Fig. 3 represents the two specimens from Kilkarai side by side with a Sakai 

 blow-gun made of the Long-noded Bamboo, Bambusa Wrayi, from the mountains of 

 Perak in the Malay Peninsula. 



Miscellaneous objects from the Rdmandd subdivision of the Madura district. (Plate B.) — 



Although there is comparatively little to be said about the figures on this plate, 

 they are of interest as illustrating several customs characteristic of a somewhat remote 

 district in Southern India. Most of these customs are by no means confined to the 

 subdivision of Ramanad. The photographs and specimens illustrating them were 

 obtained there by myself in the summer of 1905. 



Fig. 1 represents a stone burden-rest of a kind common in many parts of 

 Southern India. It consists of two or three upright stones more or less carefully 

 worked, with another stone laid across them horizontally. Frequently there is an 

 inscription on the upper stone stating by whom or in whose honour the structure was 

 erected. These burden-rests are set up by wayside shrines, market-places, bathing and 

 watering tanks, that coolies and others may rest their loads upon them while they pray, 

 wash themselves, drink, or buy food. At least one porter's rest of a similar form , but 

 made of wood, still exists in London. Porters formerly placed their burdens upon it 

 while resting, and the contrivance has probably a wide if sporadic distribution. 



The tradition in Ramanad is that the stone burden-rests, which are now put up 

 by well-to-do Hindus merely as an act of charity or in honour of distinguished persons, 

 were originally erected when a pregnant woman died without giving birth to her child, 



