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affected part. Perforated rock-crystal beads occasionally dug out in the fields or found in ancient cinerary urns are valued as a cure for certain kinds of fever. They are popularly called "rāti-jārā" (lit., 'night-fever ') stones and are believed to be particularly effective in fevers in which the attacks begin at night-time.

Besides being valued for their supposed curative virtues mentioned above, stone-celts are in some villages regarded as preservatives against lightning. But, in a few Mundā villages, on the other hand, I found quite the opposite belief,—people finding a stone-celt having been known to have thrown it away for fear of its attracting lightning strokes to the house in which it may be kept. In some other villages again, I have found the people indifferent about these stone-celts which are either thrown away as useless or given to the children to be used as playthings, one or two suitable ones being sometimes kept for use as hones or whet-stones for knives and razors. Finally, the use of stone implements for symbolic or religious purposes, though rare, is not altogether unknown. In at least one Hindu village near Ranchi a few stone-celts have been known to have been kept along with a number of stones of different fantastic shapes all placed in a heap and collectively venerated as Mahadeo (1); and in a Mundă village near Khunti I found a highly polished hammer made of compact silicate, probably jade, being painted with vermilion and worshipped as a Mahādeo (2). In one or two Oraon villages, I found a peculiar belief in the protective virtue of stone-celts which are carried during night journeys as charms against attacks by ghosts or spirits.

The materials of which the stone implements hitherto found by me in the Ranchi District are formed are mostly quartzite and various kinds of schistose and gneissose rocks.

(1) Unfortunately these stone-celts and other stones have recently disappeared having been taken away by different people on the erection of a brick built temple and a grooved stone siva-lingam of the orthodox type on the spot.

(2) This has been described in my paper on "Some Remains of the Ancient Asuras in the Ranchi District"; in J.B.O.R.S., Vol. I, Part II, pages 229-253,

Except a few in my collection which have no particular shape, the others have more or less geometrically perfect shapes. The prevailing forms of these implements are chisels and adzes, triangular axe-heads of various sizes with either flat or convex faces and either broad or pointed butt-ends, and thick rounded axes apparently used unmounted in the hand. The sides are mostly rounded to meet the faces and are almost straight from butt to corner of the blade. The faces are generally convex and thickest near the middle, converging both ways towards the butt and the edge.

In some cases the edges are formed by the gradual slope of the faces, and in others they are bevelled near the edge so as to form a sharp slope in one or both faces. Some of the larger celts have the peculiarity of having one of the faces concave or plain and the other convex; and a few have depressions on the sides probably meant for the grip. With the exception of one ovoid 'turtle-back' implement (figure 23) which has an edge all round, or, rather, of which the sides, edge, and butt all together form one continuous band,-the other celts have all single edges mostly crescentic in form. Perforated implements are rarely found in the district. I have hitherto succeeded in finding one complete hammer-head with a shaft-hole, and the half of another, besides a fragment of what appears to have been a perforated axe-head. (1) Two hammers or pounding stones each with a knob at one end, besides a few grindstones or polishers and low stone-stools have also been discovered. (1) I have also found beads of quartz crystal and other stones in large quantities, particularly in association with ancient interments (1).

Most of the stone-celts in my collection were found either in or near the surface of the soil, two only having been found in river-beds. The majority of the celts again are polished over the whole surface, a few are chipped and not ground except at the edge, and still fewer are merely chipped into shape and not

(1) This has been described in my paper on "Some Remains of the Ancient Asuras in the Ranchi District", in the J.B.O.R.S., Volume I, Pt. II, pages 229-253.

ground even at the edge,-the edges having been formed by their peculiar conchoidal fracture.

Although relics of the Paleolithic period are not so well marked in Chōta Nagpur, there appear to be abundant relics of the Neolithic period, particularly in the southern and southeastern parts of the Ranchi District; and from the association of some stone objects with the reputed sites of the ancient Asuras in whose interments relics of the Copper Age abound, it would seem that the use of stone beads and certain stone implements, tools, and articles of household use, continued well on into the Copper Age-and even into the Early Iron Age.

It may not be out of place to notice here that such stone implements from the Manbhum District and the Santal Parganās as I have hitherto seen are generally more highly polished and shew a greater variety of shapes and would therefore seem to belong to a somewhat later age than the majority of the Ranchi celts. (1) And the same may be said of the ancient stone beads from the Santal Parganas of which a small collection has been recently presented to our Society by the Hon'ble and Rev. Dr. A. Campbell.

In the preparation of the subjoined description of some select specimens from my collection, I thankfully acknowledge my indebtedness for material assistance to my geologist friend, Mr. S. K. Biswas, M.A. My thanks are also due to my friend Mr. P. K. Banerjee, M.A., B.L.

Figure 1-represents one of the finest specimens in my collection. It is a heavy broad-bladed axe made of highly

(1) Three stone celts from Manbhum have been presented to the Society by the Hon'ble and Rev. Dr. A. Campbell, and a small collection (made for him by Rev. P. O. Bodding) of stone implements from the Santal Parganas has been presented to the Society by the Hon'ble Mr. E. H. C. Walsh, C.S.I., I.C.S. Rev. Mr. Bodding has also described some specimens from the Santal Parganas in J.A.S.B., LXXX, Pt. III, No. I (1901), and LXXIII, Part III, No. 2 (1904).

Since the above was in type, the Rev. Mr. Bodding has very kindly presented me with some stone-celts from the Santal Parganas.

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ornamental quartzite streaked grey and white. It was found at village Omto (police-station Ranchi). It is highly polished and of excellent finish, triangular in shape and perfectly symmetrical. The faces are convex and skilfully rounded to form the sides, so that a section across the faces and sides represents a perfect ellipse. The faces slope gradually to form a slightly crescentic blade which meets the sides at sharp angles, the greatest breadth being just above the edge from one corner to another. The slightly curved side and the convex faces taper to a pointed butt. One corner of the blade is broken. Its dimensions are :-length, 18 cms.; breadth,-of the original blade, 9 cms.,-of the present broken blade, 7 cms.; thickness at the middle, 3.5 cms.

Figure 2-represents a medium-sized triangular polished celt in hornblende or pyroxine schist, from village Chacho Nawatoli (police-station Mandar), The colour is grey with dark patches. It has a crescentic edge and flattened sides slightly tapering to a flat straight butt. Its faces are very slightly convex, and the angles which they make with the sides are only slightly bevelled and the last quarters of the faces slope sharper than the rest and form a slightly flattened edge which meets the sides at sharp angles. Its dimensions are:-length, 7.5 cms.; breadth,—at the edge, 5.5 cms. and at the butt-end, 3.5 cms.; thickness, 2 cms.

Figure 3-represents a highly polished wedge-shaped chisel made of compact dark green quartzite (resembling flint). It was found at village Sōdag (police-station Ranchi). The straight flat sides broaden towards the thick flat butt, and the corners are slightly bevelled. The slightly convex faces gradually become broader and broader and finally slope towards the crescentic edge which is much impaired shewing signs of rough use. Its dimensions are:-length, 8 cms.; breadth,-at the edge, 5.5 cms.,-at the butt, 3'5 cms.; thickness near the butt, 1.5 cms.

Figure 4-represents a beautifully designed and highly polished celt from village Arra (police-station Ranchi). It is made of compact ailicious schist and has a fine symmetrical triangular shape. It is reddish grey in colour. Its convex faces

meet the flat sides imperceptibly, the corners being skilfully bevelled. The sides and faces all taper towards a narrow, thin, and slightly rounded butt. The crescentic edge is much impaired and blunted. Its dimensions are -length, 10-5 cms. ; breadth,—at the blade, 5 cms.,—at the butt, 1·5 cms.; greatest thickness, 2.5 cms.

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Figure 5-represents a chisel of compact basalt from village Kākrā (police-station Ranchi). The faces are plano-convex, and the sides taper to a narrow flat butt. It is chipped all over except at the edge which is polished. Towards the blade the faces are bevelled to a crescentic edge which meets one side at a sharp acute angle, the other corner being broken. Its colour is reddish grey. The dimensions are :-length, 9.5 cms.; breadth,―of the blade, 6 cms.,-of the butt, 2 cms.; thickness, 3 cms.

Figure 6-shews a broad chisel of dark grey silicious schist from village Chēnēgutu (police-station Khunti). The sides are sloping, and the slightly crescentic edge is formed by bevelling off principally the front face and slightly the back face. The flat butt meets the sides almost at right angles. The corners of the blade are slightly rounded to meet the sides. Its dimensions are:-length, 6.25 cms.; breadth,-at the blade, 3.75 cms.,-of the butt, 2 cms. ; thickness, 1 cm.

Figure 7-represents a small chisel made of grey gneiss, from village Salgi (police-station Khunti). The faces are almost flat but highly bevelled towards the lower part to form the crescentic blade. The sides are rough and unsymmetrical, but are slightly rounded to meet the faces and taper towards a broad flat butt. The blade is much damaged. The dimensions are-length, 7.5 cms. ; breadth,-of the blade, 5 cms.,-of the butt, 2.5 cms.; thickness near the blade, 2 cms.

Figure 8-shows a polished chisel made of soft grey silicious slaty rock, found at village Burju (police-station Khunti). The edge and butt are rounded, and the faces which are convex almost meet in the slightly flattened sides. One of the faces is more bevelled to meet the edge which is much impaired through

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