NOTES ON THE ETHNOLOGY OF TIBET. 737 



next to tbe one on which is huug the dorje has a bell {drilhu) attached 

 to it; the third string has a magic peg [imrhii) on it, and the fourth a 

 wheel [li'or-lo). 



Eosaries are frequently ornamented with small coral or turquoise 

 beads hanging from them, and it is usual to put narrow silver rings on 

 either side of the large coral beads dividing the successive groups of 

 beads in the string. 



Another treng wa, the beads of which are sections of human skulls, 

 and the dividing beads pieces of conch shell, is in the Museum collec- 

 tion. The (io-dzin are two in number, a large amber bead and a small 

 wooden one. Such rosaries, Dr. Waddell remarks (loc. siq). cit.), are 

 especially used for the worship of Borje jig-cWe (Yama), the King of the 

 Dead. 



One set of small beads, of narrow discs of rosewood, with four red 

 coral beads, is shown in fig. 1 of pi. 36. In this set the coral beads have 

 to be counted, so as to complete the number of 108. This string is as 

 it came from the dealer, and has no counters on it. Such rosaries are 

 apparentlyof the class called " red sandal- wood rosary" by Dr. Wad- 

 dell, which, he says, are used only in the worship of tlie fierce deity 

 Tamdrin, a special protector of lamaism. 



Fig. 2 shows a rosary of discoidal beads of yellow wood, in which 

 narrow lines of lighter color radiate from the center to near the circum- 

 ference. The dividing beads are of the same material as the rest of 

 the rosary but slightly larger and thicker. This rosary belongs to the 

 class called ser-treng, or " yellow rosary," and is the special rosary of 

 the Gelupa, or reformed school of lamaism. It may be used for all 

 kinds of worship, including that of the furies. 



On pi. 37 is shown a Chinese rosary of IS olive-shaped beads of 

 some hard, light-brown wood (or seeds); each bead is cut into an 

 image of one of the 18 Lohan (Arhats). This is the usual number of 

 beads used in rosaries {su-chu) in China. Another Chinese rosary, 

 made of some kind of rough brown seed, possibly the same as that 

 used in Tibet for rosaries, and there called Bodhi shing, is in the Museum 

 collection.* Dr. Waddell {op. sup. cit., 28) says the tree which bears 

 this seed grows in the outer Himalayas. 



Besides the materials used in the manufacture of rosaries mentioned 

 by Dr. Waddell, I found that the Tibetans greatly prized for this pur- 

 pose two varieties of .seeds, the one, called by the Chinese feng-yen 

 po-ti mu or " Bodhi wood with phoenix eyes," the other hsing y'ueh mu or 

 " wood with the stars and moon on it." These seeds are turned spher- 

 ical and then polished. The feng-yen Jcno is, I believe, the same as the 

 Piii-po of the Cantonese, identified, if I am not wrong, with JSterculia 

 lanceolata. 



Eosaries made at Wu-t'aishan, the famous lamaist sanctuary of 

 northern China, are turned from pieces of poplar wood and stained 



* Not illustrated lu this paper. 

 H. Mis. 184, pt. 2 47 



