IN THE SAL FORESTS 367 



Mdriah simply coruscates with glass and tinsel ornamenta- 

 tion, especially, as I have said, in the region of the ears ; 

 while a village dandy will affect a "gem" or two bound 

 over the forehead. Their physique is good, though most 

 are small; and rarely is a dark-coloured Mariah seen. 

 Their skins are wonderfully fair, in some cases as light in 

 tint as that of a fair Brahman. 



The women appear to wear even less, if possible, than 

 the men, and are not loaded with beads, etc. Instead 

 of this they are much tattooed all over. Extraordinary 

 patterns are engraved on their faces, in some cases causing 

 the most ludicrous exaggerations of expression. They are 

 apparently extremely timid, and the sight of a horse 

 a mythical creature to them sends the poor creatures 

 darting off like deer into their great protector the dense 

 jungle. In the villages, however, they will walk past quite 

 close without evincing any nervousness. My kodak films 

 failed me, and so, to my regret, I have no snapshots of 

 these ladies. 



The Mdriahs are distinctly interesting therefore, and we 

 soon discovered that they possessed sterling qualities of 

 honesty and truthfulness, while their willingly given services 

 were a pleasure to receive. Aborigines they may be, but 

 they are very different to the aborigine of whom one forms 

 a mental picture. 



Of the Indian buffalo there are two varieties, which 

 differ slightly enough as to have received at the hands of 

 the naturalist the separable designations speiroceros and 

 macroceros. Sprung from a common stock, environment 

 has had its usual effect, and, though practically identical, 

 the two varieties display slight differences of horn-struc- 

 ture and habit, which are apparent enough to the ordinary 

 observer. 



Bos Bubalus macroceros is the long-horned sptecies found 

 throughout the Brahmaputra Valley, the Terai, and the 

 Sundarbans. He it is who boasts the finer head, and is 



