no little trouble, that the wherefore of this strange conduct was discovered, and the suspicions aroused put at rest." In his report, 1904-1905, Mr. McCarthy states that "the local system of fire protection, consisting of the utilisation of the Kuruba jungle population for the clearing of fire lines and patrolling, and the payment of rewards according to results, may now be said to be completely established in Coorg. The Kurubas appear to have gained complete confidence in the working of the system, and, provided the superior officers personally see to the payment of the rewards, are evidently quite satisfied that the deductions for failures are just and fair."
The Kurumbas are said to have been very useful in the mining operations during the short life of the Wynād gold-mines. A few years ago, I received the skulls of two Kurumbas, who went after a porcupine into a deserted tunnel on the Glenrock Gold-mining Company's land in the Wynād. The roof fell in on them, and they were buried alive.
In a note on the 'Ethnogénie des Dravidiens',*[1] Mr. Louis Lapicque writes as follows. "Les populations caractéristiques du Wainaad sont les Panyer, les négroides les plus accusés et les plus homogenes que j'ai vus, et probablement qui existent dans toute I'lnde. D'autre part, les tribus vivant de leur côté sur leurs propres cultures, fortement négroides' encore, mais plus mélangées. Tels sont les Naiker et les Kouroumbas."
| ——— | Indice nasal. | Indice Cephalique. | Taille. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 54 Panyer | 84 | 74 | 154 |
| 28 Kouroumbas | 81 | 75 | 157 |
| 12 Naiker | 80 | 76.9 | 157 |
- ↑ * Comptes rendus des Séances de la Société de Biologic, T. LVIII, 1019.
