attempted to collect Telugu Proverbs but on a request from Major Carr, he willingly handed it over and the Major acknowledges this in his work. In 1860, Percival had collected about five thousand proverbs (in Tamil). Due to certain interruptions, (mentioned in his history) he had to discontinue this work temporarily. Later, at Mannargudi in Tanjore district, he met Rev. G. Fryar who had also collected about five thousand proverbs over a period of eight years. Rev. Fryar on acquaintance with Percival handed over his collection to him. Percival on a comparison found that Fryar’s collection had about one hundred more than his. He found out this in 1861. There was another similar work published from Vepery which had four thousand proverbs. Almost all of them were in his collection.

A native Christian lady supplied him with several proverbs pertaining to Christian character.⁸⁹

While performing the job of editor of the “Tiṉavarttamāṉi” he requested his readers to contribute proverbs. This also enabled him to increase his collection.

By 1872, Percival’s collection had increased by leaps and bounds but he found that in many instances there were repetitions.⁹⁰

Those aphorisms attributed to the poetess Avvaiyār, Percival removed from his collection. Bible proverbs and those with Sanskrit origin were also similarly treated, since his “collection was designed to be Dravidian.”⁹¹ Translations from Western proverbs met with the same fate. The above instances show Percival’s efforts to separate for study only genuine Dravidian proverbs. Like Caldwell in grammar and like Gover with Folk songs, Percival has endeavoured to show the separate quality of Dravidian proverbs.

He has classified them according to the alphabetical order but Percival himself feels that a classification on the basis of

89. Ibid. II Edition, Preface.

90. Ibid.

91. Ibid.