Legends of the Veddha tribe, who still farm in Sri Lanka, say they are responsible for wiping out the Nittaewo sometime in the late 18th century. According to the Veddha tradition recorded by Frederick Lewis in 1914, the Nittaewo were approximately three feet (1 metre) tall, the females being shorter than the males. They walked erect, had no tails and were completely naked. Their arms were short, with talon-like nails. They lived in trees, caves and crevices and caught and ate small animals such as hare, squirrel and tortoise. They lived in groups of 10 or 20 and their speech was like the twittering of birds. They fought constantly with the Veddha; when they began to take Veddha children, the Veddha trapped the Nittaewo in a cave and blocked its entrance with a wood fire, killing them all.