94 



A BRIEF SKETCH OF 



cattle, their mode of life in this respect being amusingly 

 evidenced by their possessing only one or two generic names 

 for sheep and cattle, while their vocabulary is well supplied 

 with words indicating very subtle distinctions between 

 different kinds of pigs. Their customs are generally of a 

 very simple character. They burn their dead with little 

 ceremony, and at their marriages make a feast, of which 

 plentiful libations of arrack and toddy constitute the chief 

 feature. They live principally on cholum, raggy, preferring 

 rice when they can afford it ; but they do not disdain the 

 mongoose, the guana, and even the common cat as an article 

 of diet. They have no written language, nor have they any 

 songs of their own. Such as they do sing are Telugu songs. 

 The information obtained from the Yeruka in question is 

 perhaps hardly sufficient to render possible any definite rules 

 with regard to the structure and idiom of the language. The 

 few observations here made may, therefore, need considerable 

 modification, but there appears to be little doubt that the 

 language belongs to the Dravidian family. The following 

 collection of words and phrases seems to show conclusively 

 that of these languages it bears the closest affinity to Tamil, 

 although possessing words allied to Telugu and Canarese. 

 It is of course difficult to say whether the few Telugu words, 

 phrases, and case-endings that are to be found in it really 

 belong to it or have unconsciously crept in during the long 

 sojourn of this community in the Telugu districts ; but this 

 could be ascertained by comparing the language of this 

 settlement with that spoken by Yerukalas in some Tamil 

 district. 



The principal points in which Yerukala agrees with Tamil 

 are— 



(1.) A large number of words denoting objects of pri- 

 mary importance correspond with Tamil (see 

 Table I), 



