86 The Veddahs of Bintenne. 



his nephew ; the price of a female slave was double that of a 

 male. Adultery and polygamy are still common among 

 them. If a man does not like a woman whom he has married, 

 he will, after a year, take her back to her father's house and 

 give her into his charge. Theft and lying too are still preva- 

 lent. At the latter they are particularly expert, and seem 

 to evince nothing like shame when discovered. I met with 

 several instances of this amongst them. In the time of their 

 headmen, those who committed theft were beaten or kept to 

 hard work in the headmen's houses. In particular cases, they 

 were carried before the Kandyan kings. Their headmen 

 were called Thissarvu. They received no salary from the 

 Government, but practised extortion on the people. The 

 only headman of themselves unconnected with the Govern- 

 ment, is called Kollah. He has no power over them and can 

 only give them advice. The Udeyar receives from Govern- 

 ment five dollars per month, and the Vidahn is paid for petty 

 cases. 



Of agriculture they know but little, some of them cultivate 

 a chena for a year, and after reaping a crop, wander to some 

 other place. Where they plant trees they will generally 

 stay longer : they turn up the ground with mammotties, but 

 know nothing of ploughing and manuring, and attend little 

 to either fencing or watering ; consequently, they frequently 

 lose all the fruit of their trees, and labour from the attacks of 

 wild beasts that infest the jungle around them. Some of 

 them keep a few buffaloes. For paddy they pay tithe to 

 Government, but not for Indian corn or natcherry. They 

 trade principally with Moormen with whom they barter their 

 honey, fowls, &c, for rice, cloths or ornament. They pur- 

 chase bows from Yellase, and exchange various commodities 

 among themselves. Many of them are beginning, however, 

 to learn the value of money. 



They are fond of shooting and hunting, and will go out to 

 the jungle for weeks and even months together ; when out 



