No. 33. — 1886.] THE VEDDAS OF CEYLON. 



369 



respect the rights of property, and are true, and, further, 

 loving. In proportion as their life Is limited to the circle of 

 the family, family feeling is more strongly developed. 

 Adultery and polygamy are mentioned* only where attempts 

 have been made to civilise them, whilst among their neigh- 

 bours, the Sinhalese Kandyans, adultery and polyandryf 

 were so common that the English Government was obliged 

 to issue a special law for prevention. Conjugal fidelity and 

 monogamy, as well as love for their children, were matters of 

 course among the Veddas. Mr. BaileyJ quotes the very 

 characteristic remark of a Kandyan about them, that "they 

 are just like wanduroos" (monkeys); and yet the women 

 are far from being attractive, are not conspicuous by their 

 ornaments, nor even cleanly. " They are the most ordinary 

 specimens of the sex I ever saw," says Bailey. § Both sexes go 

 almost naked. In former times they wore pieces of the bark 

 of the riti tree (Antiaris innoxia, or A. saccadord) ; these 

 were later replaced by little bits of cloth, which were held 

 fast around the body by a string. The women were distin- 

 guished by wearing round ivory pegs stuck through their 

 ears. Mr. Hartshorne,|| however, saw ornaments worn in the 

 ears by both sexes— generally pearls, or what seemed peculiarly 

 admired, empty cartridge-boxes. Evidently these are quite 

 modern innovations ; and we may without hesitation assume 

 that, up to a comparatively recent date, perfect, unadorned 

 nakedness was the rule, modified at the most only by a slight 

 covering of the pudenda. 



If nevertheless neither polygamy nor polyandry has been 

 observed among them, this may be explained by the isolation 

 of families, and the great distances which separated them ; 

 perhaps, we can in the same way also account for the other 

 very peculiar custom among them, which has been testified 



* Gillings, I. c, p. 86. f Tennent, I, p., II,, p. 428. 



% Bailey. 7. c ., p. 293, § Bailey, p. 281. 



1| Hartshorne, p. 409. 



