ERTJLAR, a Dravidian race occupying the skirts of the forests at the base of the Neiigherry Hills.. They dwell in the clefts of the mountains, and in the little openings of the woods. They arran..ge them selves into two clans, the Urali and Kunttalei, meaning rtilers and serfs. The word Eruli means unenlightened or barbarous, from the Tamil word Erul, darkness, 'and is the term applied to them by their neighbours. They speak a rude Tamil dialect.. They sacrifice he-goats and cocks to Mahri, their deity, which is a winnowing fan ; and they have minor deities, mere stones, that they Moshani and Konadi Mahri. They inter their dead in great pits, 30 or 40 feet square, thatched over and planked across, with an opening about a cubit square in the centre of the planking. Across this opening. are laid pieces of wood, on which the dead are placed,' aud covered with earth, and are left so till another person die, when the former remains and the earth are turned into the pit, and replaced by the newly dead. They are in small scattered communities, practising a rude system of agriculture, which scarcely furnishes them with sufficient food. They make use of animal food of every description, even vermin and reptiles. They collect the jungle produce. They hunt and take game of every description, with great cunning and expertness. The other Neilgherry Hill tribes do not recognise the Erular as inhabitants of the Blue Mountains, and do not hold much converse with them. The following is the result of the weight and measurements of an average of 25 men, age 26.68 yenrs : height, . . . '.61;78 in. Hands, . . . 6'50 in.
Head mrcumf., . - 19'83 Breadth of hands, 3'25 Neck . ; 11'59 Length of legs, . 34.50 _chest . 29'91 Feet, . . . 9.0 . . 8'42 Breadth of feet, 3'25 Thighs, . . 15'17 Weight (avoir.), 96'20 lbs.
Length of arms, 30'0 They are superior in physique to the Knrumbar, and in some respects even to that of the Kotar. They do not recognise the Toda as lords, nor do they pay them goodoo. The yvomen are strong and stoutly built, and very dark skinned. Their feet, of all the S. Indian races, are the most beautifully formed. They wear heaps of red and white beads about their necks, thin wire bracelets and armlets, with ear and nose rings. The women wear a double fold of a wrapper cloth, which extends from the waist to the knees ; the upper part of their bodies, with their bosoms, are nude. At one Rine the Erular rarely held communica tion with the other natives, living isolated lives in secluded places and unhealthy localities, and eking out a precarious existence. Their villages were small, seldom exceeding five or six huts, and cattle pens scattered far apart, mostly located in groves of plantain and other fruit trees, and built somewhat after the Kurumbar huts, surrounded by the usual filth and dirt. " They are more nutnerous in. the fsouthern than in the eastern parts. But of late years they have improved wonderfully, by mixing with oth6rs and taking employ as coolies on plantations, and. working side by side with other .natives. They give satis faction to their employers.Dr. Shortt, F.G.S.