DARJEELING TO THE BORDERS OF BHOTAN. 171 
Bhotan, amongst whom polyandry prevails, and the convent system is 
carried to such an excess, that all ties of relationship and morals are 
gone. Like the New Zealander, the Tasmanian, the Fuegian, and the 
natives of other climates, which, though cold, are moist and equable, 
the Lepcha’s dress is very scanty, and when we are wearing our wool- 
len under-garments and hose, he is content with one cotton vesture, 
which is loosely thrown round the body, leaving one or both arms free ; 
it reaches to the knee, aud is gathered round the waist: its fabric is 
close, the ground-colour white, universally ornamented with longitudinal 
blue stripes, two or three fingers broad, prettily worked with red and 
white. When new and clean, this garb is remarkably handsome, and gay, 
but not showy. In cold weather an upper garment with loose sleeves 
is added. A long knife, witli a common wooden handle, hangs by the 
side, stuck in a sheath; he has also, often, a quiver of poisoned 
arrows and bamboo* bow across his back, On his right wrist is a 
curious wooden guard for the bowstring ; and a little pouch, containing 
Aconite poison and a few common implements, is suspended to his 
girdle. A hat he seldom wears, or, if he does, it is an extravagantly 
broad, flat-brimmed one, with a small hemispherical crown. It is made 
of leaves of Scitaminee, between two thin plates of bamboo-work, 
clumsy and heavy ; his umbrella I explained before. All the Lepchas 
are fond of ornaments, wearing silver hoops in the ears, necklaces 
made of amber and turquoise, brought from Thibet, and coral from 
the south, with the curious silver mystical emblem of Boodhism, 
sometimes as large as a wallnut. In these decorations, and in their 
hair, the poor creatures take some pride; the ladies often dressing the 
latter for the gentlemen. In their houses you may often see, the last 
thing at night, a damsel of discreet port, demurely go behind a young 
man, unplait his pig-tail, teaze the hair, thin it of some of its lively 
inmates, braid it up for him, and retire. 
In diet, they are gross feeders. Pork is a staple dish, and 
when travelling they live on the fruits of the earth, animal or - 
vegetable. Fern-tops, roots of Seitaminee, and their flower-buds, 
various leaves, it is difficult to say what not, Boleti and Agarici, are 
ue Ss. quiver bamboo is rare, from its thinness of parietes, and consequent light- 
; it is brought from Bhotan. 
dn Comphel's definition of the Lepcha's Flora cibaria is, that he eats, “ or must - 
have eaten, everything soft enough to chew ; for, as he knows whatever is poisonous, 
he must hare tried al: ;" his knowledge is wholly empirical. 
z2 
