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JOURNAL, R.A.S. (CEYLON). 



[Vol. VIII. 



off-scouring of the threshing-floor, " Patarkadai " (chaff), and 

 " Kandumari " (paddy between chaff and first-class paddy). 



The coolies of the "Muttaddu" and 44 Munnilai vayal" are 

 entitled to similar perquisites from the < 4 Muttaddu" and 44 Mun- 

 nilai vayal," respectively. On the day of reaping, the " Podi " 

 attends the field to take an account of the crop, when the cooly 

 of the 44 Muttaddu " puts up a shed for him covered with sheaves 

 from the " Muttaddu./' and when the shed is left unoccupied, the 

 "Muttaddu" cooly becomes entitled to the sheaves with which 

 he thatched the shed. 



On the day of commencing the cultivation of the " Muttaddu " 

 and 44 Munnilai vayal/' a feast is given by the 4< Podi " and the 

 " Munnilaikkarau," called the 44 Podi Viruntu « and ' 4 Munnilai- 

 viruntu," respectively. But this has died out now. u Tinda 

 Chilavu" (a slight native lunch), called fine feast, is exacted from 

 the 44 Podi " in the following way : — 



If the 4 ' Podi," or sometimes a representative from the 44 Podi's " 

 family, happens to be present at the field on the day that the 

 sheaves are made up and stacked, one of the field-servants slyly 

 approaches the 44 Podi" with a sheaf on the top of his head, and all 

 at a sudden falls down with the sheaf and pretends to make a 

 great noise, as if in agonising pain, when all the people in the 

 field flock up to him, one after the other, and being interrogated 

 " What ails you ?" the pretender replies, 44 1 suffer from pains in 

 the loins, oppression in the chest, and colic ;" and being asked 

 to recommend the retnedy, the pretender prescribes the remedy, 

 and says that nothing less than it will effect a cure. A Moorman 

 asks for cakes and fruits, but a Tamil man asks for cakes, fruits, 

 and a bottle of arrack. " Unless these be brought and tied on my 

 back, a cure will not be effected." When the " Podi " promises 

 to procure the remedy, the man gets up, and not till then. 

 I his should be given first of all on the day that the threshing of 

 the 44 Muttaddu" takes place, and cakes are to be prepared at the 

 44 Podi's" house by the wives of the field- servants, who must 

 provide firewood, water, &c. If the remedy that the pretender 

 wants be refused, or no notice is taken of it by the "Podi," all sorts 

 of indignities or provocations are showered upon the 44 Podi" by 

 the field-servants, who make an effigy of straw, called " Fampai," 

 to represent the 44 Podi," which is stuck upon the Muttaddu stack 

 of the crop, and then representations are made of the "Podi " 



