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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). [Vol. VIII. 



3. —Sowing. — Two days in June, four in July, four in August, 

 three in September, four in October, and three in November, — in 

 all twenty times. The favourite days are Wednesday and Friday, 

 then Thursday and Sunday ; Monday is chosen once, Tuesday and 

 Saturday never. 



4. — Reaping, — .Twelve days in January, seven in February ? 

 and four in March. Every day except Tuesday and Sunday.* 

 Time, — generally at sunset or night. 



5. — Heaping up the Grain for Threshing. — January, February, 

 and March in the asterismsf Kartikai, Tiruvatirai, A'yiliyam. 

 Uttiram, Suvati, Keddai, Uttiradam, Chatayam, Revati, and the 

 ilakkinams Mitunam, Karkkadakam, Chinkam, Viruchchikam, and 

 Kumpam. 



6. — Threshing. — Thursday and Friday are the proper days, 

 on account of the saying, "if you thresh on Sunday, the kulis will 

 carry away one-tenth, on Monday one-eleventh, on Tuesday one- 

 eighth, on Saturday, one-twentieth." 



7. — Bringing home the grain. — Wednesday, Thursday, and 

 Saturday, the asterims Parani, Urokini, Tiruvatirai, Makam, 



* " Sunday, Tuesday, and Saturday are, as a rule, considered unlucky 

 days, Sunday being not quite so bad as the other two." (Ind. Ant., 

 Vol. III., p. 138.) 



f Nakshattiram == Sinhalese neTtata. — These are twenty-seven in 

 number, and are the constellations through which the moon in her 

 monthly course passes. Great importance is attached to them in 

 astrological calculations. They are divided into male, female, and neuter ; 

 good, bad, and indifferent ; those which look upwards, those which look 

 downwards, and those which look straightforward. Each nakshattiram 

 is divided into four parts, called poda, and two and a-half nakshattirams 

 equal a rdsi, or sign of the zodiac." (Ibid, p. 138.) 



The Tamil names of the asterisms are : — 



1 Achchuvini 



2 Parani 



3 Karttikai 

 Urokini 

 Mirukasiridam 

 Tiruvatirai 

 Punarptisam 

 jPusam 

 A'yiliyam 



10 Makam 



11 Puram 



12 Uttiram 



13 Attam 



14 Chittirai 



15 Suvati 



16 Visakam 



17 Anusham 



18 Keddai 



19 Mulam 



20 Puradam 



21 Uttiradam 



22 Tiruvonam 



23 Aviddam 



24 Satayam 



25 Puraddati 



26 Uttiraddati 



27 Revati 



