Epiphi," supra-and provided such particulars can be connected with the above-mentioned Scheme, it should now be quite possible, indeed easy (save for the arithmetic involved), to fix the place of that Rising, or Feast, in whatever Cycle it may chance to belong to, i. e., whether of the 360°, the 364°, the 365°, or the 3651 Spheroid, and even, on the basis of the last-mentioned, to present it in terms of modern reckoning, in every case exact, at least to the year, nay, in some cases (those where the desired date is said to have coincided with a Sed or Hunti Heb, i.e., with one of the spheroidal years on my General Heb and Rising Lists) exact to the fraction of a year. Of course, if a mere Calendrical datum, so found, cannot be switched on to the above Scheme, and thus related to some "Manifestation," or Feast, it would be impossible, without supplementary data, to put it on any Cycle, or state it in terms of modern reckoning.

With regard to any future discovery in the shape of an ancient Romic date, provided the datum is already connected, or can be connected, with some "Manifestation," or Feast, and that sufficient is otherwise known to enable us to decide what the Cycle was and whether it was based on the 360°, the 361°, the 365°, or the 3651° Spheroid, it should be an equally simple matter to determine any such date's place on the Cycle, and to state it also in terms of modern reckoning, and with a like degree of precision.

It may be well to repeat that every one of the Rising, or Feast, dates mentioned in Petrie's List-and as many others of the same kind, before and after them, as we care to follow out-can be got without trouble by simply restoring to my General List of Rising, or Feast, Dates in a Cycle, applying it to as many Cycles as we desire, and there ticking off every 7th date from zero in each Cycle. In brief, those General Lists are a check upon, and a final Court of Appeal for, whatever results we arrive at when interesting ourselves only in Petrie's List.

Lastly, I am no arithmetician. All calculations supra are only my own rough way of working ideas out. Doubtless they can be improved and simplified. Possibly, as they stand, they need correction.

The annexed Diagram may be of use in following the statements and arguments above submitted.

ON THE CULT OF GORAKSHANATHA

IN EASTERN BENGAL.

BY

SARAT CHANDRA MITRA, Esq., M.A.,

Lecturer in Social Anthropology, University of Calcutta.

SECTION I.

Introduction.

In an agricultural country, where the mass of the population earn their livelihood by following agricultural pursuits, the possession of cattle is regarded by them as a valuable asset. These animals afford them help not only in the shape of plough-cattle and beasts of burden, but are also a source of valuable food-supply to them, in as much as they furnish them with milk, butter and curds. It is for this reason that cattle are so dear to the hearts of, and are so much venerated by, the peasantry of the countryside. It is for this reason also that these agriculturists have devised, from time immemorial, many quaint rites and curious ceremonies for ensuring the health and general welfare of their cattle as also for securing a profuse yield of milk by these beasts. It has, therefore, been very aptly said that these rites and ceremonies

"the rustic expression of the affection and respect paid by the peasant to his cattle so essential to agriculture."

Among these rites and ceremonies may be mentioned (i) the invocation of the assistance of the tree-spirit or plant-spirit, and the placing of the cattle in contact with, or the causing of the latter to pass under, branches, twigs and leaves of the trees and plants which are either the

embodiment or habitations of the tree-spirit or plant-spirit; (ii) the worship of snakes with prayers and offerings of milk and curds; (iii) the worship, in the same way, of certain godlings like Dum and others among the hill people of the Western Himalayas, that of the Earth-goddess or Earth-mother in Bengal and Bihar; and that of the Fire-god; and (iv) the worship, in the same way, of some deified saint or ascetic.

SECTION II.

The Vegetation-Spirit as a Protector of Cattle.

I shall, first of all, deal with the ceremonial rite (i) mentioned supra. According to the doctrine of Animism or the belief in spiritual beings pervading nature, which has been propounded by Sir E. B. Tylor in his great work on Primitive Culture, and which forms one of the outstanding features of the philosophy of the Lower Culture, (a) inanimate objects are believed by primitive men to be the embodiments or manifestations of spirits, or (b) they are believed by them. to be the habitations of spirits which can detach themselves, more or less, from their places of abode, and which, if they can be seen at all, may be seen in other shapes and guises.

According to this animistic frame of mind, trees and plants appear to the uncultured folk to be the embodiments or habitations of the tree-spirits or plant-spirits, which are believed by them to possess considerable power for good, or magical virtue. It is further believed by them that these vegetation-spirits can exercise this power or virtue for ensuring the general welfare of cattle.

To begin with Europe, we may mention that, in Westphalia and Dalecarlia, the peasantry believe that the mountain-ash and the rowan-tree are the embodiments of the aforementioned tree-spirits which exercise considerable beneficent influence on cattle and can cause the latter to yield plentiful supplies of milk. As the result of this belief, they