GLIMPSE OF THE LACCADIVES 87 



sea fishing ; and, of course, as their trade is all by 

 sea, they are accomplished boatbuilders. On some of 

 the islands they grow lilliputian patches of grain 

 and sweet potatoes and starch-yielding aroids. Their 

 drink is water drawn from shallow wells, which are 

 carefully walled in, and faced with stone down to the 

 water-line ; and they live in huts built of roughly- 

 dressed coral stone, and thatched with palm leaves. 

 They have a few cows and goats and fowls and cats, 

 but they cannot bear dogs, and will have none of 

 them. They are not bothered by any wild animals 

 larger than rats, which, however, do damage to the 

 coconuts. Land-crabs of the genus Geograpsus are 

 common near the houses, and, of course, cenobites 

 are found everywhere. Away from the shore, the 

 only animals, besides these, that I saw on Anderut 

 were crows, lizards of the genus Calotes, a few small 

 frogs, two species of freshwater snails, a water-beetle, 

 and some dragon-flies ; and on Kiltdn, a warbler, 

 some grasshoppers and butterflies, and a spider. I 

 do not know what the political institutions of these 

 islands are, but I believe they are governed, directly 

 or indirectly, by the magistrate of Malabar. At the 

 time of our visit, the British Government was repre- 

 sented at Anderut by a stout clerk with an umbrella, 

 and at Kiltan by a chaprassi with a brass badge. 

 At Anderut there is a school where English is taught : 

 we saw it at the peaceful hour of noon, when the 



