The Antiquities of Orissa v1.c10.277.2

v1.c10.277.2

The animals which yield them are believed to dwell in those seas, and marine animals bite the bushy part off from their tails and cast them on the shore, where fortunate people collect them. Each sea has its own peculiar kind of *cāmara*, and the author describes them in detail. He adds that the most characteristic quality of the mountain-born *cāmara*, is the ease with which it burns when thrown on the fire, and the peculiar *mis mis* sound which it produces when burning. The sea-born *cāmara* does not easily take fire, but when it does burn, it emits profuse, dense smoke, and produces a crackling sound like *caṭ caṭ*.¹³¹ It is evident that by the mountain-born *cāmara* the author refers to the tail hair of the Yak, Gour, Gayal and other bovine animals which continue even to this day to yield *cāmaras* of various kinds; but what he means by sea-born *cāmaras*, I cannot make out; and yet from the details of their colour, length, density and sound produced when burning, it is obvious that he alludes to some imported articles which he had seen. Of these several kinds of *cāmaras* the *Bṛhat Saṃhitā* notices only the yak *caury*, which, it says, is sometimes yellow, sometimes white, and sometimes black, the best being that which is white, glistening, soft, dense, beautiful, and enclosing only a few small tail bones. Its handle may vary in length from a span to a cubit;