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CHIRU.

　The Chirus are a small tribe in the Manipur State. They are estimated to number between 500 and 1,000 souls. Most of them live in the mountains to the west of the valley, but a few Chirus are also found as a migratory tribe in the valley. Major McCulloch thought them to form a connecting link between the Songboos and the southern tribes. Their language is most closely related to Hallm, Km, Rngkhl and Langrong.

AUTHORITIES-

　McCULLOCH, MAJOR W.,-Account of the Valley of Munnipore and of the Hill Tribes; with a Comparative Vocabulary of the Munnipore and other Languages. Selections from the Records of the Govetnment of India (Foreign Department). No. xxvii, Calcutta, 1859. Short account of the tribe on p. 65.

　DAMANT, G.H.,-Notes on the Locality and Population of the Tribes dwelling between the Brahmaputra and Ningthi Rivers. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, New Series, Vol. xii, 1880, pp. 228 and ff. Note on Cheru on p. 238.

　Two specimens and a list of standard words and phrases have been received from Manipur. They have all been prepared by Babu Bisharup Singh at Kangjup Khul. They are the only foundation for the remarks on Chiru grammar which follow:-

　Pronunciation.-The marking of long vowels is not consistent. Thus, we find kh and kha, that; rng and rang, for; am-ni and a-ma-ni, they. U is always marked as long. There are apparently two diphthongs ai, one with a long , and another with a short a. Thus, ni, child; nai, property. Both are sometimes interchangeable with and i. Thus, a-rai-yoi and a-r-yoi, he said; wk-ri-rang, I will go and say. O and seem to denote the same sound. Thus, kh and kho, village; r and ro, the suffix of the imperative. O is also interchangeable with a; thus, ra-chok and ra-chak, buy. The vowels of prefixes are often changed so as to agree with the vowels of the following syllables. Thus, a-di, two; -rk, six; ka-s-p, my son; k-s-n, my daughter; ma- rim, sound; milli, four; m-lng, mind; a-rai, he said; o-om, he was, etc. Euphonic w's and y's are generally inserted after an o and , or and i respectively. Thus, kho-w, in the village; a-k-y, on his foot. Final consonants are sometimes silent. Thus, pk and p, give; wk, wt, and wa, come; nk and ni, to eat, to swallow. Final r is often doubled; thus, thirr, iron; sa-korr, horse. In the same way we find l doubled between vowels; thus, mallai, tongue; ll, far. This doubling is probably intended to denote the shortening of the preceding vowel. Hard and soft consonants are sometimes inter- changed. Thus, a-jm-da-n, having struck; lk-ta-n, having drawn. L and n seem to be interchangeable in some cases. Thus, a-ni-da-l, having been; a-jm-da-n, having struck. In sh-ta-ng, having gone, ng is perhaps written for n. J and y are apparently interchangeable. Thus, jong and yong, a prefix denoting motion towards; o-oyt, in plenty; o-ojd-, happily, etc S and sh are written in the same words; thus, shk and sk, to eat.

　We have no information with regard to accents and tones.

　Prefixes.-Most of the prefixes used in Chiru are pronominal or verbal prefixes, and will be dealt with below. A is generally the possessive pronoun of the third person, but it has also a wider use in the formation of nouns and adjectives. Thus, a-ni, sun; a-p,