716 REPORT OF NATIONAL MUSEUM, 1893. 



Single female dancers sometimes perform while playing on the Jew's-harp. 

 In this dance they shuffle slowly about, without raising the feet, and 

 keeping time to their music. In other dances tive or ten men stand on 

 one side holding hands, and facing them stand as many women. One 

 line sings a verse while slowly moving forward and backward, then 

 the other side does likewise. (See C. H. Desgodins, op, sup. cit., 304, 

 and Land of the Lamas, p. 247.)* 



George Bogle thus describes a dance lie witnessed near Shigatse. 



The court held about 30 ilaucers, half of them men, half of them womeu. The 

 men were dressed in different and party-colored clothes, with their large sheep's- 

 wool bonnets, a bit of colored silk in one hand, and a leather machine, something 

 iu shape of, but rather less than, a fiddle at their side. The women had their faces 

 washed, and clean clothes, abundance of rings upon their fingers, and of coral, 

 amber beads, bugles, etc., on their heads and necks, and each wore a small round 

 hat, covered with circles of white beads. They formed a ring, the men being alto- 

 gether, the women altogether, and five men were in the middle of it. They danced 

 to their own singing, moving slowly round in a sort of half-hox) step, keeping time 

 with their hands, while the five in the center twisted round and cut capers, with 

 many strange and indescribable motions. The second part of the entertainment was 

 performed by four or five men, with winged rainbow-colored caps, who jumped and 

 twisted about, to the clashing of cymbals and the beating of tabors. Among the 

 rest was a merry Andrew with a mask stuck over with cowries, and a clown with 

 a large stick in his hand. These two men were more alike than the others, and 

 between whiles carried on a dialogue, and the grimace and conversation gave great 

 entertainment to those who understood it. (C. R. Markham, Narrative of the Mis- 

 sion, etc., p. 92.) 



VII. 



TRANSPORTATION. 



Wheeled vehicles are practically unknown in Tibet; all traveling is 

 done on horse or mule back or on foot, and freight is carried by yaks, 

 mules, horses, donkeys, or sheep, hardly ever by men, except for short 

 distances over exceptionally rough or steep ground. 



The Tibetan riding saddle {taga) difters but little from that used in 

 China; in eastern Tibet those most prized are made in Derge (see 

 Diary of a Journey, etc., p. lOii.), and iu central Tibet saddles of Chinese 

 make, but ornamented with silver and j)recious stones in Tibetan style, 

 are much sought after. 



PI. 25 shows a Kokonor pony equipped with a good Derge saddle. 

 The tree is made of four pieces of birchwood, covered on the outside 

 before and behind with shagreen and trimmed with polished iron 

 bands. The seat is of several thicknesses of felt covered with pulo. 

 The stirrup straps are of plaited rawhide, the stirrup irons of Chinese 

 make. The girth passes over the saddle ; frequently a hind girth is used. 

 A broad crupper ami a breast band are generally used. From the lat- 

 ter hangs, when the rider is an official, a long red tassel or doni, 

 (called chHhsiln in Chinese), such as are worn in China by military 



* The religions dances of Tibet, of which there are quite a large variety, have been 

 so freiiueiitly and minutely described by different writers that they require no men- 

 tion here. 



