1837.] 



Khoonds of the Goomsoor Mountains. 



33 



they make toddy from) , ant7prp fp - (erpi phoungha 

 the Erpatree flowers, i ^iSvf^SL teicU ° j mhranuta kallu 

 &c* 3 Konua moaaa ^ teiari gia manju 



they pat (the flowers (phulio phallo) chari char panch din si . 

 and fruit ground panchi dim pamre ithlin - 

 small) into water for bottere rukhibo tein dau J va ji n j nn j 

 four or five days— and potche randibo tein ^ e | ie „ 

 then boil— and then potche moddo kari- . Q 

 take off the spirit bo J 



what is the use of the kissi gotza ki peyti ki kissi mhranu anni 

 kissi tree ? asowathci veygierru 



we use the bark to ? lohi douri in noutchu < amu n^su doruki 

 make strings $ 1 I vattiki onumf 



After making out the list of words and questions, I took every op- 

 portunity of interrogating any Khond whom I met, and it was amusing 

 to see his astonishment when I spoke to him. 



On returning to the low country the only Khonds I met with, were 

 some young children that had been preserved from sacrifice by the 

 Collector. To one of these I addressed myself, asking his name in 

 Khonds ; speaking fast, at first he did not understand me, but on pro- 

 nouncing more slowly and distinctly, he instantly called out his name. 



In the preceding vocabulary the numerals are derived from the 

 Sanscrit: the Tamil numerals are quite different. Some few of the 

 words have been explained in Mr. Stevenson's list. In the rest there 

 is a tolerable sprinkling of words, which are synonimous with Telugu 

 or Tamil words, The Udiya dialect is seen at a glance, to be derived 

 from the Mdgadha, or Bengal and Bahar dialects, if not from the 

 Hindustani, to which it has a frequent resemblance, sometimes amount- 

 ing to identity. But I look upon the Udiya (or Wodiah) to be more 

 modern than the Khoond speech. The word for milk may be noted as 

 being in Udiya, the same as in Telugu, and nearly the same as in 

 Tamil, while Pddu, as the Khoonds have it, shews a variation, which 

 would give a different sense in Tamil ; and yet it is probable that the 

 word in all three dialects is originally the same. It will not perhaps 

 be expected, and I know not that it would answer any really valuable 

 object, to pursue as minute an examination with this list as with that 

 of Mr. Stevenson. It may suffice to say that the same general result 

 is indicated; which is, that the Khoonds have words peculiar to them- 

 selves, and others which are found in the low-land languages of the pe- 

 ninsula. 



* Bassia longifolia. 



* The diacritical vowel-marks employed by Dr. Maxwell are omitted in the printing, 

 and by consequence his glossary of them ; probably from the want of types with such 

 marks. This explanation is given that Dr. M. may not consider his directions to be 

 neglected. W. T 



