Although the principal food of the Andamaners coWsiypf.fisjk.ygt
twhateve.fe'îefoe «jSbæptéy itsélfr;! figaro^.,guanas, çats,-
and snakes supply a change of repasfc.dBirtfe are a#i5ïTOgroîiS)^^4lplÉ9ffi •
cerné; -within « ao h ijS doweadpartoqueiSi - pod the India® orq-yy , \pfg ; ;thgfjg.ps t
common«» hawks are sometimes seenhqysr.ing.joyerdhe |§ p s rc^.the,,tTepsj
butAheyraieJonly temporary.^yisitors-lronj it^gj ^-g^Ojrang^cqntinent:
a.'few aqùatic ;birds; frequent the shores ; amongst:these;.are the kingfisher,
a sort of curlew, and the small sea gull. Within caverns and recesses
ofrthe frocks ;is found thejsalangane, ,or hirundo-nidis edu^bus^^iç^ibçd
bÿ Moi^igu®fej)Vi0> thi^frirdj.iffiîf^ife^ïjBipdppes^gfiîi^ÿ^t^^iÇ^ina,,
is perfectly black, and resembles a small martin; its nest is thickly glazed
with a mucilaginous substance; which, the bird collects from .the sea
blubber, and is said to swallow,,- and afterwards
it- is prized by the. ChinBug- Æwr kn-crfrffiptyd-
qualities,-
The vegetable diet of the Andamaners consists of the natural produce ‘
o f.the woods, in which' the researches of Europeans find little 'that is
palatable or -nutritious ; the fruit of the mangrove is - principally used,
having often been found in their deserted habitations, ;steeping in^an ,em;
banked puddle of water. As they have no pot* or yessel that can,begrtthe
action of fire, they cannot derive much advantage from such esculent 1
herbs as the forests may contain; indeed their extenuated and diseased
figures too plainly indicate.the want of wholesome nourishment; unhappily
for them, the cocoa nut, which-[thrives in the utmost luxuriance in
* The fragments of earthen vessels, mentioned by Mr. Colebrooke, were probably brought
from the Nicobars, or from the continent, by the boats that often visit the ‘Andamans for the
purpose of taking the nests before mentioned.
the^fii'gffioiM^i^^fts^'iS^libPior'B^fedndihere are extremely, fond
'o%i£;l ^h^nhv^&rifit^as(deftfifi'\MifVaf!^ t f i e ’&et|rers,-it was imme-
lfilfieiy‘TcafHSH offi'^itlf"Aucfi; appaidht S^isffetiodtsqC^ptain Stokoe, wfio
fibn^dintl^'TfesfdecffoiS1 th'e* M'aMffdls^oSi'tedMh. Mswat^em-pts jtpcestablish
■iitfl&fESil ‘aft’tefcoftse,'~e^id5'ilv0iiredfitdi'iMl^viat©vtHein?wants(by sending, as
would"-adwif>, sffiall^Shpplies ofevictuafe tep-their
huts, tfihiG^fiverd*alwayS''h|l!icfe«fid>; Or$:tihe -a^gr.na^h\ p§:hi«’ people;;,but
Thschteddo- agaiSuvhsn fhbyi-fea'd yyiPMriwn. A p%ty'd||fisbbr$ belonging
tfh'tfe ghtdemenf; ®tih^s^'WOidlr^'by^therdllurfe#feni(^0l*f Aodv tejj come, so
fetfe's& that she. w tsJmidc^pra^taKi', in^cad off iJiu in » « liu hunger, they
^•oh'fiedhd fb thfeSofe^'b&melpqjo'n-oi'gatulJe fei ought •aurtLfi#
itSbdfy!t§fi^Sva"geifti§nd#, raMhe^h^-Sfai^#, iwj^ra&hingiouh.of the
' tHSkeiss$Nttfaeked^and killed tWokd&thdy-et mofe:savag^a!^|eSso,|S; ;'Eheir
bbfiies^wdFe’afterVtards fbUMdisfigured'm ■$ sho^kingi-iriarmert cAfi^oastt-
p h ftf <^ e ':aSy^isd&’Pdj!edi a"man»'diid' at bo^str'etohed^ritthd beach,
llfppkrently in % e i^ s t. stage pf .famine; j h e ' t b o ' s ^ i tle-
fll^frienP: unfortunately every effplfCpf-ntimanity fiiilakXoAyayc^th.e man,
t<buf the^ bp.y re.cpy ered, andtispow in thle'^v|(M%T^Iph%ltK fa “flfClalcutta,
- where hd'fe- m^chfepliced fo^the'^trikingl sjn^dgfity o£vMS»'agpea?ghce'.i - 1
feU h ^ la n ^ la g e df 'the An^tma^er^fiaxnot" h ^ jd ^ i n y ^ M 't o bosses'#:
‘;ther-.sl%hiest affinity to‘"any thafidsf spoken ‘in I n d i a , , c o n t i n e n t a l , or
i iSfe^ijS^Oa^SirfStokoe informed1 find',' ifiat why^hfevfie'aid wSS'hSt a t'all
harsh or disagreeable to the ear; their songs are wildly melodious, and their
^gesticula4ion,(whil|t singing, is ex£rerpel^mp'h^%^dV This is one among
' ■ *_This circumstance rather s.eems to indicate that they are not cannibals ;,s.the bodies of the
Bengal fishermen w’ere pierced by sharp weapons, arid pbunded By stones ii-ntM every/bone was
broken; but the flesh was not cut off, or any limb' severed.