No. 43—1892.] WEIGHTS AND measures. 



185 



Tennent mentions a " dog's cry " as indicating a quarter of 

 a mile, a "cock's crow" something more, while a hiiwa 

 implies the space over which a man can be heard when 

 shouting that particular monosyllable at the pitch of his 

 voice. 16 This seems identical with the Scotch expression of 

 " a far cry to Loch Awe." In making the shout, the " hoo " 

 is repeated twice, the crier dwelling on the first " hoo " with 

 a powerful crescendo and uttering the remaining " hoo " in 

 a comparative diminuendo. These measures must for the 

 distance they are supposed to cover certainly depend on the 

 strength of the lungs of the crier. Pridham remarks that 

 two "hoos" make a hetekma, but this would depend on 

 whose " hoo " ! Tennent sums up : " As all these tests 

 are more or less conjectural, the replies of the natives 

 as to distances in Ceylon must always be taken with caution ; 

 for unlike the peasantry of Scotland, whose energy leads 

 them to disregard toil and under-estimate the ground to be 

 travelled, a Sinhalese when asked the way to the next 

 village generally adds to, instead of diminishing, its remote- 

 ness,"* an experience which is common with travellers in the 

 interior of the Island who have the misfortune to rely on 

 native guides. 



VI.— Measures of Time. 



Time (kdlaya) was doubtless a matter of much importance 

 with the Sinhalese, if the infinitesimal divisions and sub- 

 divisions of it afford any criterion. 



The following interesting table is taken from the 



Panclidnga, or Ephemiris : — 



8 kshukshun == 1 ratarenu 17 

 8 ratarenu = 1 valagra 

 8 valagra = 1 truti 

 100 truti = 1 lavam 



30 lavam = 1 nimisha, the 



twinkling of an eye 18 

 18 nimishas === 1 khastava 

 1£ khastavas = 1 guru-akshara, 

 time taken to sound a long 

 vowel 19 



* Ceylon, .vol. II.. p. 583. 



64—92 D 



10 guru-aksharas — 1 swasa 



2 swasas 



3 kalas 

 10 vinadi 



6 kshanas 

 2 peyas 



= 1 kala 

 = 1 vinadi 20 

 = 1 kshana 

 = 1 peya 

 = 1 muhurta 

 = 1 yama, or 

 watch 21 



