1882.] IBX BATTJTA IN THE MALDIVES AND CEYLON. 5 



of Souweid there is a cereal like the anly (a kind of millet) which 

 is brought thence to Mahal* The food of the natives consists of 

 a fish like the lyroun, which they call koulb almas. Its flesh is 

 red : it has no grease, but its smell resembles that of mutton. 

 When caught at the fishing, each fish is cut up into four pieces, 

 and then slightly cooked : it is then placed in baskets of coco 

 leaves and suspended in smoke. It is eaten when perfectly dry. 

 From this country it is exported to India, China and Yaman. 

 It is called koulb atmds'f (cobolly masse, i.e., " black Jish" accord- 

 ing to Pyrard, Part l,p. 210, 214.) 



—was of sufficient importance in the 14th century to be classed as a ' province', 

 it is not improbable that other islands would have been taken as representative 

 of whole groups or Atols. 



" Telddib, if not Nilandu, might then be Toddu, on the analogy of Had- 

 dummati from Heledommety : Cannalous — Kinalos, 1 Kenoorus,' Admiralty 

 Chart, (Malosmadulu Atol) : Candacal — Kedikolu, 1 Kaindecolu,' Admiralty 

 Chart, (Miladummadulu Atol. Cannalous and Teim should lie North of Male. 

 Ifon Batuta, crossing from the Malabar coast, landed first at the former, ' an 

 island fair to behold, where there are many mosques,' and touched later at 

 Teim 1 after four days' cruise' when bound for Mahal (Male)." — (The Mdldive 

 Islands, p. 18, Note (1), Ceylon Sessional Papers, 1881.) 



Colonel Yule and Mr. Gray identify Teim with Utimu (Admiralty Chart, 

 Oteeim) near north end of Tiladummati Atol. " Cannalous, Candecal and 

 Otimo appear in the oldest European maps" — B.~\ N 



* Either the fine grain known to the Sinhalese as (i.) tana Ml (Setaria 

 Italica), M. urd (Pyrard, our a), or (ii.) meneri (Panicum miliaceum), M. kudi- 

 bai — both of which are found on the Southern Atols. Some nacheri or hwrah- 

 han ( Cynosurus corocanus), M. bimbi (Pyrard, bimby), is grown on the Northern 

 Atols— B. 



f Koulb almas : — Pyrard has cobolly masse (Pyrard, third edition, 1619, 

 p. 210), and combolly masse (p. 214), and says the words mean " black fish." 

 See also Pridham ' Ceylon', p. 605. The Sinhalese call it mnbalakada. [See 

 "Note on Fish-curing at the Maldives" (Ind. Ant., July, 1882, Vol. XI., 

 pp. 196-8): — "The real 'Maldive fish' (M. Jealubili mas, vulgarly komboli mas), 

 S. umbala Jcada) of the Ceylon and Indian markets are chiefly bonito (S. balayd) 

 —Scomber Pelamis, Linn." Kalubili=kalu, 1 black' : bill (S. balayd,) 1 bonito.' 



-so 



