JOURNAL 
OF THE 
ASIATIC SOCIETY OF BENGAL. 
—<s>— 
Part I.—HISTORY, LITERATURE, &e. 
Nos. Ill & IV. —1883. 
Memorandum on the superstitions connec ted with child birth, and precaut ions 
taken and rites performed on the occasion of the birth of a child among 
the Jdts of Mo ship dr pur in the Fanjdb.—By Siedae Guejdyal Singh. 
I have selected the above subject as I think it will give a clear insight 
into the superstitions of the rural population ; for a native woman can never 
omit to do anything, however ludicrous it may appear to others, which 
may be thought necessary for the safety of her son, or which may be be¬ 
lieved to be conducive to his happiness, or which may he imagined to have 
the power of warding off any danger, real or imaginary. I wish to be par¬ 
doned for mentioning anything herein which may be improper according to 
our ideas of propriety in such matters, for I must give a faithful descrip¬ 
tion. I have already omitted what appeared to be somewhat indecent. 
If abortion has ever happened, or if there is any fear of it, besides the 
charms which they might get from the Syanas or “ cunning men,” any one 
of the following articles is kept on the body of the woman with child to 
prevent abortion. 
1. A small piece of wood taken from a scaffold on which some convict 
has been hanged. 
2. A pice which has been thrown over the coffin (biwan) # of an old 
man or woman. 
3. Tiger’s flesh or nail. 
As soon as a child is born, the midwife takes it away from the mother, 
and if it is a male says a girl is born, and if a girl then says “ pathar ” 
(stone) is born. “ Pathar ” so used means a girl, and the knowledge of the 
* [Properly the ‘bier;’ a corruption of Skr. f%fn*T biman. Ed.] 
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