231 THE G ARROW PEOPLE. 



side. This perilous species of petticoat is occasionally weighted by the 

 punctilious with four or five rows of beads along the lower hem. The 

 women are well made, and one or two of the younger ones I saw were 

 decidedly pretty. They wear large hunches of brass rings, 3£ inches in 

 diameter, in their ears; this gives a stiff carriage to the head. One beauty, 

 who permitted me to count her ornaments, had thirty-two rings in each 

 ear. I weighed some spare ones ; they were sixteeen to the pound. The 

 lobes of their ears were distended in consequence, though the weight is 

 partly sustained by a string across the head. The holes through their ears 

 are frequently large enough to admit of three fingers being inserted together, 

 and one fair one had the lobe of one ear torn through ; this, strange to say, 

 is considered a point of beauty amongst them. "What tortures will not the 

 softer sex all the world over inflict upon themselves in gratification of their 

 vanity ! Agonies from which strong men would recoil are nothing to them. 



The jungles in the Garrow hills differ widely in character from any- 

 thing to be seen in the south of India. There is a scarcity of heavy timber, 

 owing to immemorial joom or dhaya cultivation (the felling of heavy forest 

 and sowing for one or two seasons); consequently, in the absence of shade, 

 grass fifteen to twenty feet high, creepers, canes, and undergrowth of all 

 kinds, flourish apace. There is a large amount of bamboo in the hills, but 

 it is of an inferior kind. There are few places where anything like stalking 

 can be done ; consequently, though game is plentiful, it is not a desirable 

 hunting-ground. The game comprises wild elephants, a few rhinoceros, 

 buffalo in the lower valleys, bison, bears, sambur, barking-deer, two kinds 

 of pheasants, jungle-fowl (Gallus ferruginms ; the common grey jungle-fowl 

 of Southern India — Gallus sonncratii — is here unknown) ; the hullook, or 

 tailless black monkey (and at least two other species) ; and a few minor 

 animals. 



The hills are well suited for elephant -cat clung ; the herds are large, 

 numerous, and undisturbed, and the supply of water and fodder unlimited. 

 There would be some little difficulty about labour at first, as the low-country 

 people fear entering the hills, evil spirits and fevers being supposed to be 

 somewhat prevalent. I therefore decided on this occasion not to commence 

 kheddahs in this locality, but it will probably be one of the most important 

 elephant-fields for the supply of the Bengal Commissariat hereafter. 



Having made all the inquiries I desired, I commenced my return-march 

 to the plains of Bengal. This was in October 1875. During the first day's 

 march I passed two large herds of elephants ; one probably contained eighty 

 individuals. Next morning I was walking in advance of the baggage-ele- 

 phants when we heard elephants feeding in a valley to our right. The 



