388 



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



Knox, as already cited, saw in his flight through the 

 woods of the Yedda country no human beings, only empty 

 dwelling places. Hence the picture contained in his book 

 represents a man differing from the likenesses of the 

 Sinhalese in look only, by his shorter and more thick- 

 set figure ; he wears the hair and beard noticeably long like 

 the Sinhalese, the former being gathered into a knot on the 

 back of the head. 



Percival,* 1798, saw some captive Veddas in Colombo. 

 According to his representation, they were of lighter com- 

 plexion than the rest of the Ceylonese, being rather copper 

 coloured, were remarkably well-made, wore long beards, and 

 their hair tucked up close to the crown of the head. 



Yalentynf says the Bedas, or Wedas, are a kind of wild 

 bushmen, and the oldest inhabitants of the Island : " Zvort- 

 van berwe, beandend van Oogen, niet groot van gestalte, 

 maar gezeten rad van Lieden." To these very broad state- 

 ments, followed at last by John DavyJ the first definite 

 scientific description resting on autopsy. He says : " Such 

 of the village Weddhas that I have seen were in general 

 small men, between 5 ft. 3 in. and 5 ft. 5 in. high, slender, 

 muscular, and well made ; in colour, form, and features 

 resembling the Singhalese. Their appearance was wild in 



the extreme, and completely savage Their hair was quite 



emblematic of their forests : it seemed never to have been 

 cut, or combed, or cleaned ; and was long, bushy, and matted, 

 hanging about their shoulders, and shading their faces 

 in a very luxuriant and disgusting manner ; nor were their 

 beards less neglected." 



Sir Emerson Tennent§ gives the following general des- 

 cription of the Veddas in the region of Bintenna : — " They all 

 presented the same characteristics of wretchedness and dejec- 

 tion — projecting mouths, prominent teeth, flattened noses, 

 stunted stature, and other evidences of the physical depra- 



* Percival, I. c, p. 283. f Valentyn, I. c, bl. 49. % Davy, I. c. p. 116. 

 § Tennent, I. c, II,, p. 450. 



