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ceremonies and distributions of gifts, this Hindu Curtius proceeded in state to the river, and solemnly cast himself into the chasm, which immediately closed. Some of the water, however, still finds its way in and throws up a smoke-like cloud to mark and commemorate the spot and the sacrifice. On the bank opposite there now stands a hoary old temple, within the enclosure of which is a range of ten or twelve huge black Linga stones, each in a canopied cell; oblations to these are supposed to be efficacious in removing barrenness. Not far below, the wide river is bridled with a curb of stone, being suddenly narrowed to less than half its width between rocky walls with sharp granite reefs in mid channel, through and over which the swirling flood rushes in foaming rapids and broken falls with a roar audible afar, and just at the entrance of this dangerous strait, is the romantic "Goat's leap" crag, also not without its legends.
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
[DECEMBER, 1881.
Grey is good; red and white not good, but white knees, a white spot on the forehead, and a white tail are admired. A perfect Hindu horse should have the four hoofs, the head, and the tail all white. A red horse gives its rider success in love-affairs.
II.
When a wealthy Hindu meditates purchasing a horse, his first attention is directed not at all to the "points" a European would naturally look at. He looks not at hoof or hock, at head, shoulder, or wither, but seeks first to satisfy himself as to certain external marks never dreamt of by a Western horse-fancier, but which are of primary importance in determining his choice. These are the presence or not of certain circles or curls of hair on particular parts of the body. These are called in Tamil suris or flowers, and by them a judgment is formed of the temper and quality of the horse. If these hair-curls bend inward, it is a good sign, but if outward, bad; and there should be two such curls on the head, two on the breast, and two on each side; one on the back of the neck and one in the hollow of the neck. Each curl indicates a particular god, and by them it is decided whether the possession of the horse would be fortunate to the owner-whether it would bring health, good fortune, or otherwise. A Hindu will not buy a horse, however good-looking in other respects, unless these suris or hair-curls are present, turning properly, and in their right. places. The colours of a horse are also much attended to as ominous of good or ill. Coalblack, so m'.ch admired in Europe, is held the most unlucky. Turpin's Black Bess would have found no admirers amongst Hindus.
III.
In his excellent and laborious work, The Early History of Mankind, Mr. Tylor brings together, in the tenth chapter, a number of instances of remarkable customs for which no special reasons can be assigned. In this category may, I think, be placed the scruple of the Kôra gars and some other of the slave-castes of Kannada against carrying anything with four legs, animate or inanimate, whether animals, chairs, cots, &o. They will carry no four-legged piece of furniture unless one leg be taken off, and as they are often employed as coolies this sometimes causes inconvenience. The Kôragars are the lowest of the fifteen slave-castes of Kannada, none of whom may intermarry, and their women still wear an apron of twigs and leaves over their buttocks. Once this was the only covering allowed them, and a mark of their deep degradation, but now when no longer compulsory, and of no use, as it is worn over the cloths, the women still retain it, believing its disuse would be unlucky-one instance out of many in which badges, originally of degradation, have become cherished observances. Colonel Dalton mentions a similar restriction as to four-legged articles amongst the Baigas of Central India, where the women are not allowed to sit or lie upon any four-legged bed or stool.
Amongst the lower spurs of the Palani mountain range west of Dindigal, in the Madurâ district, there is a jungle tribe called K unei vâr, whose women are never allowed to wear white clothes: none could tell why, but it was said that within memory women offending against the rule had been cast from a high rock.
The late Raja of Vijyanagram, one of the most enlightened and estimable of Hindu princes, and a member of the Viceroy's Council, would not allow the employment of iron in the construction of buildings in his territory, because believed to be inevitably followed by small-pox and other epidemics. No reason is assigned for this belief, which is rather opposed to practices obtaining elsewhere: e. g. in Persia it is lucky to drive a nail into the holy trees by shrines; the
