Indian Antiquary Vol 60

Author(s): Richard Carnac Temple, Charles E A W Oldham, S Krishnaswami Aiyangar, Devadatta Ramkrishna Bhandarka
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 158

134
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY
[JULY, 1931
At the bottom of each ladder leading into a Nicobarese hut on this island, is a large flat sponge to wipe the feet on, and, on hunting on the beach, I found very large numbers of these sponges at high-water mark, and in the afternoon found a few growing on the coral reefs fronting the island. Although most of the sponges are commercially useless, still some I saw were of value and one or two were of very fair quality and quite fit for bath use. A limited trade in this commodity might easily be established and is, I consider, well worth fostering. The Andamanese informed me that similar sponges are to be found on parts of the Andamans, and if so they are worthy of careful culture, and the matter of investigation. On the lime trees, but extremely difficult to see owing to their green colour perfectly harmonising with the leaves of the trees, and its yellow throat with the fruit, I caught & couple of Calotes jubatus. In the evening I visited the reefs fringing the island and got a few sponges growing on the stones.
7th January--Reached Bengala in teressa early this morning. Mr. Man at once landed and took Census. A large sign-board with the name of village inscribed thereon was also landed and hoisted into some cocoanut trees to serve as a direction to future mariners. When this work was accomplished we steamed to Kerawa, where we all landed, and at quarter to one, I, with a guide and Adolph, started off across the island to Aöang and Hinam. The path, after leading for about three-quarters of a mile through the usual thick coast fringe of cocoanuts, pandanus and creepers, emerged on open grass-covered downs across which I walked quickly for over an hour, probably rather over three miles. The grass is mostly quite short. from 6 inches to 4 feet, -the usual length about one foot, and consists of several kinds; one with very fine, delicate leaves, another with coarse leaves like coarse dúb grass. On the upper parta of the down were very numerous pandanus trees, at places forming veritable pandanus thickets. In many places the forest and the grass land meet in such a perfectly straight line that human agency in the production of this grass land is very strongly suggested. The meeting of the forest and grass land takes place on the sides of hills, where sometimes forest, sometimes grass, covers their summits. In most places, however, the narrow and often very steep valleys descending from the grass land are clad right up to their tops with trees, although the trees on the top are merely rooted to rocks, and no difference can be seen between the soil bearing the trees and the adjacent soil producing merely grass. That the villagers do not consider the soil of the downs poor or unproductive, is proved by their enclosing parts of it with fences to form vegetable gardens, of which we passed several on our road. Finally, I was informed by a Nicobarege that they yearly fired the grass to keep the downs free from trees, which otherwise would spring up. For these reasons, I disagree with those observers who consider the grassy downs on Teressa at least natural and, with difficulty, explicable phenomena. In the margins of the forests, Nicobar imperial pigeons (Carpophoga insularis) were very numerous. On returning to the ship in the late afternoon some of the deep, well-wooded valleys in the middle of the island resounded with loud cries of the Mega pode, the cry closely resembling the croaking of the bull-frog. Rocks formed in coral-seas were found to constitute the larger part of the hill to a height of at least 200 feet about midway between Bengala and Kerawa. I shot a Megapode as it flew into a tree with a cry of alarm, and it proved excellent roasted.
8th January.Reached Bompoka early, and Mr. Man landed and performed the necessary Census operations. Thereafter, we left for Camorta and reached Nancowry Harbour in ample time to make all the necessary arrangements for the Census on the morrow and to visit the site of the old Danish Settlement.
9th January. Started early, with Nicobarese guide in boat with Nicobarese canoes in tow, and landed at Domyau where I collected information regarding the number of inhabitants in Olenchi, Monak, Oal-ok-heak, Hoe-chafa, Fop-dak, and Domyau itself. With the exception of Domyau, the above names merely represented the sites of one or two hute. Behind Domyau there was a very large accumulation of oyster shells, forming a veritable kitohen-midden.