22 RELATION BETWEEN CLIMATE AND VEGETATlOSf 



wooden beams only, and has no monuments, except the ehaits 

 mentioned on our way up the mountain. It consists of one 

 large room, with small sliding shutter windows, raised on a 

 stone foundation, and roofed with shingles of wood ; opposite 

 the door, which is at one end (the east), the altar is placed, of 

 wood, chequered with black, white, and red diagonally ; to the 

 right and left are shelves with a few MS. books, wrapped in 

 silk ; a model of Symbonath temple at Nepal, in wood ; a praying 

 cylinder, and some implements for common purposes, bags of 

 juniper, &c. On the shelves are English M'ine-bottles and glasses, 

 with tufts of Abies Wehbiana, Rhododendrons, and peacocks' fea- 

 thers. On the altar seven little brass cups are ranged, full of 

 water ; a large shell carved with the sacred lotus : a brass jug from 

 Lhassa, of beautiful design, and a human thigh-bone, hollow 

 and perforated through both condyles. The shelves above con- 

 tained various trifles, clay ornaments and offerings, and little 

 Hindu idols brought from the Hurdwar fair. 



Facing the altar is a bench and a chair, and on one side a 

 huge tambourine, with two curved iron drum-sticks. The bench 

 was covered with mysterious implements, bells handsomely carved 

 with idols, censers with juniper-ashes, the dorge which the priest 

 holds in his hand during service, and various water-vessels ; on 

 the stool or chair was a large platter, with a brass egg-cup 

 inserted in it. Of these articles, the human thigh-bone is by 

 much the most curious ; it is very often that of a Lama, and the 

 longer they are the more value is put upon them. As, however, 

 the Sikkim Lamas are burned, these relics are generally procured 

 from Tibet, where the corpses are said to be cut in pieces and 

 thrown to the kites, or into the water. 



The Lama was consecrated at Cimngachelling, one of the 

 oldest Sikkim convents (it has existed for three centuries), and 

 unfortunately was not an educated or intelligent fellow. 



Two boys usually reside in the temple, and their beds were 

 given up to us, which being only rough planks laid on the floor, 

 proved clean in one sense, but contrasted badly with the springy 

 couch of bamboo the Lepcha makes, which renders carrying a 

 mattress or aught but blankets superfluous. 



May 24.th. — We were awakened this morning by the dis- 

 coi'dant orisons of the Lama ; these commenced at sunrise, by 

 the boys coming in and beating the great tambourine close to 

 our ears for several minutes, then blowing the conch-shells, and 

 finally the thigh-bone, each for as long a time. Shortly the Lama 

 entered, clad in scarlet, shorn and barefooted, wearing a small 

 red silk cap. He walked along, slowly muttering and groaning 

 his prayer, to the end of the ajiartment, whence he took a small 

 red bag in which were a brass bell and dorge. Sitting down he 



