J. C. Hotten 56 reproduces a map drawn by an English tramp which indicates houses which may be visited with advantage or those which it is well to avoid. Such rude maps are often found drawn for general information on the walls of lodging-houses and other resorts of the fraternity. It has been stated that English Gypsies practise similar methods. Rev. F. G. Ackerley,57 Secretary of the Gypsy Lore Society, kindly informs me that Gypsies have various ways of laying a trail to show their own people which road they have travelled. Usually a handful of grass is laid on the roadside, or a mark, known as patteran or patrin, is scored in the dust. This is used for giving information, but not about houses and their inhabitants. Thus, when travelling with a Gypsy, two members of our Society often lingered behind to explore the country, to look at interesting buildings, and the like. The Gypsy always laid a patteran at cross roads so that they should make no mistake in following his route. He was much annoyed when he found that they did not destroy or remove the bunch of grass after learning its message. He said it might bring other Gypsies after him. Probably different families use different methods of giving such a sign, but the one and only purpose of the patteran, a word meaning 'a leaf', is to show which road the main or advanced party has travelled. " Patteran is clearly the Hindi pattra, “a leaf. ”

over.

The language of signs is used in love-making all the world

The classical instances are found in the stories of the "Arabian Nights", "Aziz and Aziza" and "Kamar-al-Zaman and the Jeweller's Wife" 58 It also appears in India. Pawn and betel are universally eaten by the Khyoungtha, and they are not infrequently used as a means wherewith to make amatory propositions. Thus, a leaf of pawn with betel and sweet spices inside, accompanied by a certain flower, mean "I love you". If much spice is put inside the leaf and one corner turned in

56 Dictionary of Modern Slang, Cant, and Vulgar Words, 1873. 57 Letter dated 15th March, 1919.

58 Sir R. Burton, The Book of the Thousand Nights and A Night, ed. 1893, ii. 198ff, vii. 313ff.

a peculiar way, it signifies "Come". The leaf being touched with turmeric means "I cannot come". A small piece of charcoal inside the leaf means "Go, I have done with you

59 دو

Similar signs are also employed in marriage negotiations. Khonds make a marriage proposal by placing a brass cup and three arrows at the door of the girl's father. He will remove these once to show his reluctance, and they will be again replaced. If he removes them a second time, it signifies the definite refusal of the match; but if he allows them to remain, the bridegroom's friends go to him and say "We have noticed a beautiful flower in passing through your village and desire to pluck it" 60 The Mundas send a number of clay marbles to the guardians of the bridegroom to signify the number of rupees making up the bride-price. A number of sal leaves, each rolled up and tied with a coloured thread signify the number of women's sheets which the bridegroom must present to the relatives of the bride.61

The criminal tribes have many ways of giving information by means of signs to other members of the gang. When Sansiyas returned to their camp after a thieving expedition, when about a mile away they used to call "Cuckoo", to ascertain if any misfortune had happened during their absence; if they thought all was well, they went nearer and imitated the call of the partridge; and, finally, when close to the encampment, made a hissing noise like a snake.62 The Bhampta warns another by first coughing and then clearing his throat; this is done quietly if police are about, or noisily if the person to be warned is at a distance and the coast is clear; they are believed to possess certain secret signs, made with the eyes and fingers, by which they can communicate with each other when necessary. 63 Among some Mang burglars it is the practice for the confederate outside to keep up a quiet and regular tapping, by flicking the first finger from the thumb on a window or door to assure the men

50 T. H. Lewin, l'he Wild Races of South-Eastern India, 123.

60 Russell, iii. 467.

61 Rai Bahadur Sarat Chandra Roy, The Mundas, 441.

62 Russell, iv. 493.

03 Kennedy, 236.

inside the house that there is no danger; the cessation of this signal means that they must be cautious or escape while they can.64 Pathāns have a system of intercommunication by using words and phrases in a sense different from the ordinary meaning. Chandravedi pick-pockets make signals to the boy thief whom they employ by raising the elbow and moving their hands in various ways.65

Lastly, I may refer to the custom of Dumb Barter, used particularly in horse-dealing, where the parties to the bargain arrange the price by manipulating their fingers under a cloth. The practice has been described by old travellers, like Varthema, Tavernier and Fryer, and by many later observers.66

The use of secret marks and signs is thus of considerable interest as a contribution to the study of oriental symbolism, and it deserves the attention of anthropologists working in India who have opportunities for throwing light on the methods, some of which have been described in this paper.

Varthema, Travels in Egypt, Syria, Persia, India and Ethiopia, 169: Tavernier, Travels in India, ed. v. Ball, ii. 68: Fryer, A New Account of East India and Persia, ed. 1909, i. 282: P. G. H. Grierson, The Silent Trade, 1903: Man, xiii. 193.

II-An Examination of Fifty-eight Silver Punch Marked Coins found at Gorho

Ghat.

By E, H. C. Walsh,

The fifty-eight silver punch-marked coins which are described in the present paper were found in July 1917 at Gorho Ghat in the Bangaon (" Bongong") Thana of the Bhagalpur District of this Province. They were found by some labourers who were digging earth to repair the road in garden, At "kneedepth" below the surface they found an earthen pot which contained the coins and a copper kangana covered over with goldleaf, and some beads. They stated, as reported in the Police Report, that they found "a portion of land was surrounded by brick wall under the ground having a gap in the middle for putting some pot." It would therefore appear that the coins formed part of a deposit in a stúpa or reliquary.

The coins have been deposited in the Patna Museum. 1

The result of the examination of the coins entirely confirms the conclusions to which I came from the examination of the punch-marked coins found at Golakhpur in Patna City, namely, "An examination of the marks on them shows that they occur in certain constant and regular groups on the obverse,......and although other varying symbols were added to these constant groups, the above regular combinations, which cannot have been fortuitous, shows that the theory that these marks were affixed haphazard by shroffs and moneyers through whose hands the coins passed cannot be maintained, and that the present coins in fact constitute a coinage."

1 The coins are Nos. 912 to 959 in the General Register of the Bihar and Orissa Coin Cabinet.

'An Examination of a Find of Punch Marked Coins in Patna City with reference to the subject of Punch Marked Coins generally. By E, H. C. Walsh. J.B.O.R.S., Vol. V, p. 16.

I do not propose to repeat in this paper the grounds for the conclusions arrived at in the former paper. This paper should therefore be read in continuation of it.

The examination of the present coins further shows that oval, round, and square coins were not only current at the same time, but, as is shown by the occurrence of the same group of marks on the coins of these different classes, were minted at the same time, and that, consequently, no conclusion as to the comparative age of the present smaller type of punch-marked coins can safely be drawn from their shape.

square

The coins were classified by Mr. R. D. Banerji in his Treasure Trove Report according to their shape as "circular thin", "circular thick ", (6 square thin" and " thick" and these classes were divided according to the number of marks on the reverse into one mark" two marks and "three marks". This distribution between "thick" and "thin " as regards the present coins is only comparative. None of them are of the really thin type of the Golakhpur coins, as can be readily seen from the comparison of their respective size and weight.

The number of marks on the reverse, also, forms no basis for classification where, as already noted in the case of the Golakhpur coins, there is, with few exceptions, no uniformity amongst the groups of reverse marks. This will be clearly seen from the coins on which the reverse marks occur; which will be found in column 5 of Table II against Figs. 55 to 97.

The present coins appear to be considerably later than the Golakhpur coins. This would appear to be the case from the fact that the Golakhpur coins were found at a depth of 15 feet below the surface, whereas the present coins were found "knee-deep" below the surface, which, even allowing for the more rapid rise of the surface in a town than at a stupa, the site of which has long been abandoned, would indicate a considerably greater age. The present coins would also appear to be later from the greater elaborateness of some of the marks on them.

It will be interesting if further evidence should become available to fix the approximate date of the stupa in which they were deposited.