710 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1893. 



tobacco used comes from either China, Bhutan, Silikini or Nepaul, that 

 from Bhutan being, as I understand it, greatly preferred. Tliis tobacco 

 is, however, rather expensive and strong, so it is frequently used for 

 smoking either mixed with the leaves of the rhubarb plant, or the latter 

 substance is even used pure in its stead. This substitute for tobacco 

 is in great demand in Tibet among smokers, and is exported from Lh'asa, 

 or the countries to the southwest of it rather, where the plant is found, all 

 over eastern Tibet where it is called LWam fob-eho. Snuff is made in 

 the country or imported from China; the latter variety is, however, too 

 much perfumed to suit the Tibetan taste. Frequently, to make the 

 snuff milder, ashes are mixed with it. In the northeastern part of 

 Tibet well-polished ox horns are used to hold the snuff, several examples 

 of which are shown on pi. 17.* One of these is handsomely orna- 

 mented with silver bauds, bits of coral, and turquoise. In other parts 

 of the country (among the K'amba of northeastern Tibet for example), 

 the coarsely pounded tobacco is put in a leather pouch, and when a 

 pinch is wanted the tiner particles are scraped off" the sides with a knife. 



In Lh'asa a snuffbox is made of wood of oblate-si)heroid shape, 

 across the interior of which is stretched a tine cloth sieve. The coarse 

 tobacco is put in the top of the box through a hole made for that pur- 

 pose, and by lightly striking the box on the knee the liner parts are 

 sifted throngh into the lower compartment. By a little hole in the 

 lower part of the box the snuff"' is poured out onto the nail of the left 

 thumb held against the index, and is thus inhaled daily in enormous 

 quantities. PI. 18 shows a line specimen of this kind of snuffbox. 

 Women use snuff, but rarely smoke; when they do, they use the Chinese 

 water pipe. 



Tlie tobacco i)ipes used by the Tibetans are usually of Chinese make, 

 the bowls of brass, iron, or white coi)per (pi. 19, tigs. 1 and -), the stem 

 of bamboo and about 2 feet long. Mouthpieces are not usually used. 

 I have only seen threekindsof"pii)esof purely Tibetan manufacture; one, 

 in use among the Panaka, is made of the horn of the antel(»i)e {hu<uuj 

 yam/), with a metallic mouthjiiece and a metal bowl. iSonie of these 

 pipes, in which they only smoke Chinese water tobacco, and which are 

 a moditication of the short bamboo pipe in use in iSsu-ch'uan for the 

 same purpose (as seen in fig. 4), are ornamented Avith coral and tur- 

 quoise beads. Another pipe, in use in Jyadc, is made of a forked twig; 

 the larger i)art is hollowed out, then lined with iron, and this forms the 

 bowl; in the smaller and longer branch the pith is removed, and rhis 

 constitutes the stem. In southeastern Tibet, in tbe Ts'arong and among 

 the Mishmis and the hill tribes along southern Tibet, the root of a 

 small mountain bamboo is used to make the bowl of the pipe, and the 

 same plant supplies the stem. (Fig. 3). 



*Similar mulls or snuff borus are iu use not only iu Scotlaud', but ainon^ tbe 

 Wachaga of Kiliniaujaro, iu East Africa. (See Cat. Nos. 151242, 151243, ami 151244, 

 U. S. Nat. Museum.) 



