XXXII, 
load, and this wa<5 thfi first intimation he had of the catastrophe ; his 
store of ragee had been stowed a way in chatties, and placed in one of 
the huts ; he did not appear to care about the destruction of the huts^ 
as they could be easily re-built ; his ^reat anxiety was to ascertain the 
damage done to his store of grain, and his consternation was great 
when he found the larger portion of it baked into a cindery cake. 
The Pooliars appear not to be at all particular as to what they eat ; 
flesh of all kinds of animals is greedily devoured, and rats are a very 
favourite dish amongst them ; they have a most ingenious rat-trap 
made of a bamboo stuck upright and bent with a string like a bow 
with a clever arrangement of noose and catch near the ground, and 
placed In front of the rat hole. They also catch- jungle fowl and other 
birds with this spring. From their propensity to falsehood it was 
diHrcuIt to obtain anything reliable regardfng their customs. They 
informed me that no man is allowed more than one wife, and can only 
re-marry twice ; the marriage ceremony consists principally of feasting 
and drinking, the bride's" father having to bear the principal expenses ; 
they declared that no cases of intoxication ever occurred during these 
ceremonies; that a drunken man on such an occasion would be most 
severely beaten by the tribe ; the probability being that there is not a 
single sober individual in the whole company as \o\\g as the drink 
lasts ! They bury their dead, and on the third day the mourners ^ 
break chatties of milk and water over the grave, after which, they 
never revisit it. I could obtain very little information with regard to 
their religion ; they said they performed * pooja ' to a god called 
Pooliar, bringing cocoanuts, honey, and flowers, and pouring milk on 
the idol • giving some of the honey to the Priest and keeping- some 
themsehes 1 
"I did not meet with the Moodoowars during my sojourn on 
the hills ; they appeared to avoid me; for on the first occasion of my 
proceeding to Coomarikul MuHay, I found a freshly deserted en- 
campment, which, from its appearance, they had only occupied for a 
short time, though by the preparations they had made it was 
evidently intended for a more permanent camp. According to the 
I^ooiiars' information, there are not more than fifty Moodoowars on 
