THE SPORTS AND GAMES OF THE SINGHALESE. 



33 



centre. From a boundary or offing thirty feet away, the 

 players shoot for innings, the nearest the centre of the 

 circle taking precedence, and the others following in the 

 order of proximity. The batta of the last is placed up- 

 right in the centre of the circle, and the first player 

 shoots at it from the outside of the circle, and then at 

 the nearest on the ground, and so on until he can come back 

 into the circle, after having scattered the other players far 

 apart. If he succeed in this he retires the winner. The 

 other players continue the game in the order of their innings, 

 until one is left last, who, as the loser, has to pay the same 

 forfeit as in the previous game. 



Among the games recently taken to by the Singhalese 

 and generally played in the towns, may be mentioned 

 m Hop Scotch,* Prisoner's base, and marbles which are all 

 ' played on the same rules as the English game , 



Among the games of skill or rather scientific games, 

 though the Singhalese may have in ancient times had a 

 knowledge of Chess, they have not even a popular name 

 for it now, it being known to the learned only by its San- 

 scrit name of Chaturange. Games, however, much on the 

 same principle as draughts are not uncommon, and while 

 the Hatdiviyan or " Seven Leopards" may be taken as the 

 simplest, the Koiu Ellime or " Taking: of the Castles'' 

 may be considered the most eloborate. The former is 

 played with seven pieces, representing the leopards, and 

 one representing the tiger. The moves are made in a tri- 

 angular diagram with one perpendicular line in the middle 



Mr. Jas. d' Alwis tells me that he has seen this or a game very 

 much like it, described in an ancient Pali Buddhistical work. It is 

 now known among Singhalese boys by the names of Masop and Tatio 

 indifferently, but both these terms would seem to be of Tamil origin. 



